Another World: Takahashi Chapter 高桥秘饶の物語
by Akira the White
Summary: One of my goals was to add an OC to an anime, but keep the storyline pretty much the same. So I'm going to try with Clannad first. Notice: I will start delving into the OC's story arc. This may conflict with the anime's timeline slightly.
1. Chapter 1

**Another World: Takahashi Chapter**

**Chapter 1: ****On the Hillside Path Where the Cherry Blossoms Flutter**

"I hate this town. It's too filled with memories I'd rather forget. I go to school every day, hang out with my friends...and then I go home. There's no place I'd rather not go ever again. I wonder if anything will ever change. Will that day ever come?" Tomoya thought to himself.

It was just another day for for Tomoya Okazaki; just like always, he walked by himself towards school. There weren't many students from his school around at this time. This was the main path to the school, so normally it should be bristling with students. It wasn't that today was a holiday or something like that. Rather, it was because now wasn't the time when students should be arriving to class. At this time, classes had already started. Regardless, Tomoya continued walking at the same speed towards the school. At 200 meters until he reached the school gates, Tomoya stood still for a bit. Taking a deep breath, he looks up at the sky. The school gates were just ahead. _Who decided to put the gates all the way up there?_ Tomoya ponders silently. _This road stretches out like a nightmare…_

Just then, Tomoya heard a sigh. It was a different breath from his, smaller and gentler. Tomoya turned to look beside him. There is a girl standing there, just as he was. Tomoya could tell she was a third year student by looking at the colour of badge on her uniform. But she wasn't someone that Tomoya knew. Her short hair fluttered in the wind, just above her shoulders. "…" The girl looked like she was about to cry. _I don't usually judge people by appearance, but she looks very honest._ Tomoya thought. She looked like the kind of girl who would be too timid to enter a classroom alone.

"Okay…Okay…" The girl closes her eyes and nodded repeatedly for a few moments as if she had something to tell herself. Then she opens her eyes, and looks at the school gates with a firm eye. "Do you like this school?"

"Eh…?" Tomoya blurted out. Tomoya paused to think. _No, she probably wasn't speaking to me. She's probably talking to someone in her heart. _He thought. That brought up an interesting point. _How will this man (or perhaps woman) answer her?_ Tomoya pondered this for a few moments, before the girl started speaking again.

"I have to say that I love it very, very much. But soon, everything changes. Well, at least it does eventually." With great difficulty, she continued to speak. "Fun things, happy things...They'll all...They'll all eventually change someday, you know. But can you still love this place?"

Tomoya decided to speak out here. "You just have to find them, right?"

"Eh?" The girl turned to face him, only just realizing that Tomoya had been standing there. Surprised, she looks at him as if she really believed that she had been alone until now.

Tomoya smiled as he continued. "All you have to do is find other fun and happy things. It's not so hard."

_That's right._ Tomoya thought to himself. _There were times when we were innocent and naïve. It's a phase everyone goes through. _

"Come on, let's go!" Tomoya gave the girl a gentle push forward. And so, they both began a long climb upwards towards the school.

**Chapter 2: An Old Friend**

Unbeknownst to Tomoya and the girl, there was another person who had been standing back and watching from a distance, unwilling to interrupt their conversation. "Okazaki and Furukawa, huh?" He said to himself. This guy, Takahashi Mirao, pressed his hand against his forehead. He knew the girl somewhat, since he visited her family bakery to buy bread every once in a while. "Nagisa Furukawa, right? I think that was her name…" Takahashi frowned as he tried to recall. "Yea, that should be it. And Tomoya was the guy's name…He's in my class, I'm pretty sure. I should probably catch up with him." With that last thought, Takahashi dashed up the slope, but he made sure that he kept a decent distance from Nagisa and Tomoya.

….

When homeroom was in session, and the teacher was taking attendance, Takahashi was able to locate Tomoya right away. However, Takahashi was also searching for another face that he had been hoping to see for some time. "Sunohara?" The teacher called. There was no response. "Huh…Absent as usual." The teacher sighed. Takahashi also sighed. He had hoped to see Youhei Sunohara so they could talk again. They hadn't been in the same class since their junior year.

"Well, I guess it can't be helped…" Takahashi muttered to himself. "I'll wait until tomorrow then." The truth of the matter was Tomoya and Sunohara were reputed to have the worst attendance in the entire school. They could be labelled as delinquents, thinking of it that way. It might also explain why they were given the moniker "The Dirty Pair." But Takahashi didn't care about that. Sunohara and he were good friends back when they used to be on the soccer team together. Takahashi knew more about Sunohara's past, and understood the circumstances that he faced now. But the school didn't. The only thing they saw was the fighting and bad attitude towards academics. The same thing probably held true for Tomoya, but Takahashi knew very little about him. He had only heard things about Tomoya from Sunohara every once in a while, but they had never spoken before. Even as the teacher had begun lessons, Takahashi noticed that Tomoya was staring out the window, not paying attention to a single word the teacher was saying. And so, that's how it went the entire day. Tomoya just stared out the window the entire day. Either the scenery outside must have been fascinating, or the teacher's lesson was boring. _Even someone like me finds this lesson hard to sit through…_Takahashi thought.

The next day…

Tomoya was late to school again, as per usual. As he approached the school gates, he noticed a familiar figure standing there at the bottom of the slope. _She's there again._ Tomoya sighed. Nagisa was standing at the bottom of the slope again, eyeing the school gates the way that a Mongolian Gerbil would look at a Mongolian tiger. _I better say something…_Tomoya decided to call out to her. "You again..?" Tomoya approached Nagisa. "Why aren't you going on ahead?"

"Umm…" Nagisa started hesitantly. "That's…Well, how should I put this…"

Tomoya smiled. "It's alright. You don't need to force yourself to say it. I am a stranger, after all."

"Ah, okay…" Nagisa responded uncertainly.

Tomoya sighed. "But you know…you should be serious about going to school on time."

Nagisa turned to face Tomoya. "You're late as well." She points a finger at Tomoya.

Tomoya was unmoved. He shrugged. "It's okay for me…I…" Tomoya turned his eyes away from Nagisa. _To begin with, what am I being so serious about, lecturing a stranger?_ Mentally reprimanding himself, Tomoya started walking again. "Do whatever you want…" He said, his voice trailing off.

Tomoya left Nagisa and began climbing the hill alone. _It's just that…_Tomoya knew why he even bothered trying to lecture Nagisa. _She doesn't look like a delinquent at all, so I felt like lecturing her. That's the only reason._ Shaking his head, he continued walking forward.

"Ah, please wait!" Nagisa called out. Tomoya stopped, and Nagisa ran to catch up with Tomoya. "Um…Is it okay for me to follow you?"

Tomoya turned around to find Nagisa standing right beside him. Tomoya was slightly taken aback by this. "Why?" He inquired.

"Um…" Nagisa tried to find the right words. "Because…I feel uneasy going alone."

"…" Tomoya remained silent. _She's confessing to a strange guy like me. She probably has one or two friends, so why is it me again…?_ Tomoya narrowed his eyes as he gazed up the hill. _Well, it's only a short walk from here anyways._ He thought. "Do what you want." Tomoya told Nagisa. Tomoya started walking again.

"Please wait!" Nagisa stopped Tomoya again.

Tomoya sighed and turned around again. "What now?"

"…Anpan!" Nagisa said.

Tomoya was speechless for a moment. _How should I respond to that…_He thinks for a bit, and then says, "French Loaf."

Nagisa gave him a dubious look. "I don't understand what you're saying…" She said in a small voice.

"That's my line." Tomoya shot back. "What? Do you just like anpan?"

"No, not really…" Nagisa looked aside. "Though that said, I really don't hate it."

"HEY!" A voice called to them.

They both turned to see another student approaching them from the top of the hill. It was Takahashi. Takahashi, grinning from ear to ear, called out to them again. "You should hurry, or you'll be late for class."

"Ah…" Nagisa looked at Takahashi as though she had just remembered why she had come to school in the first place. She then shifted her glance to Tomoya. Tomoya shrugged. "Come on. Let's go."

"Okay!" Nagisa was smiling. It seemed like the conversation had cheered her up a bit.

…

The lesson ended with the ring of the school chime. Tomoya decided to relax on his desk for a bit before the next lesson started. "Yo." Takahashi walked over to where Tomoya was sitting. Tomoya looked up at Takahashi for a moment before looking away again. "What do you want?"

Takahashi handed Tomoya a piece of paper. "It's the handout from today's homeroom. The class rep was supposed to give it to you, but I asked for a few extras."

Tomoya took one of the handouts Takahashi was holding, and promptly stuffed it into his desk. "Is there something else you want?"

Takahashi was still holding a handout. "Haha, yes." Takahashi said, scratching the back of his head. "I'd also like you to give a copy to Youhei. He sits right beside you, so that shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Tomoya turned to face Takahashi. He finally had Tomoya's attention. "Wait." Tomoya began. "Why do you care about Sunohara?"

Takahashi's face suddenly seemed to lose its cheerfulness. "That…Well…It's because we used to be on the soccer team together. He's my friend, you know? Of course I care about him." He said, looking down a bit.

Tomoya stared at Takahashi for a while, before Takahashi looked up again. "Anyhow, I don't think I've introduced myself to you yet. My name is Takahashi Mirao. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance." Takahashi put forth his right hand. Tomoya didn't want to bother, but nonetheless, he took Takahashi's hand and shook it. "I'm Tomoya Okazaki. Nice to meet you."

Takahashi had that bright 100 Watt grin on his face again. "Alright. I have to go back to my desk now. Please give that handout to Youhei, alright?"

Tomoya nodded. "I got it."

Takahashi turned around and walked back to his desk.

Tomoya was just about to relax again, when another person approached him. "Um…"

"Hmm…?" Tomoya turned his head.

It was the class representative, Ryou Fujibayashi. _She's Kyou's twin sister right?_ Tomoya thought to himself. Ryou's eyes darted back and forth as she came by Tomoya's desk. "Uh…Um…" Ryou was struggling to even form a word.

Tomoya sighed. "What?"

Ryou finally seemed to be able to talk. "Here…" She presented a piece of paper to Tomoya.

"….." Tomoya takes paper and looks at it. It was the homeroom handout that Takahashi had just given him. Tomoya raised a hand. "Uh, Miss Class President. I already have one of these."

"Eh…?" Ryou was at a loss for words.

Noticing this, Tomoya quickly added, "Takahashi-san gave me one already. Didn't he ask you for a few extra copies?"

"Ah…yes…he did…sorry about that." Ryou said, evidently flustered.

Tomoya turned to look out the window again. Ryou continued to stand there beside his desk like a statue. Tomoya turned to face her again. "Is there something else you need?"

Ryou looked down at Tomoya's desk, avoiding Tomoya's gaze. "Um…Well, I think it's better if you come to school on time."

Tomoya was unmoved. "…It's none of your business." He said flatly.

Ryou tried again. "But…Well…It'd be better if…you came to school on time, so…"

"So, if you become the class representative, you can just talk about your other classmates' attendance, huh?" Tomoya questioned. He was getting pretty tired of this conversation already.

Ryou's expression suddenly became sad. "T-that's not what I mean, but…Um…" Her eyes were becoming misty.

Tomoya sighed. _Maybe I was a little harsh. _He thought. Tomoya decided to apologize. "Sorry, I spoke a bit too much."

Ryou gently shook her head. "No…It's my fault for bothering you so much…Sorry…"

A student beside him perked up. "Hey, Okazaki. Don't make her cry! You'll have her big sister rushing in."

Ryou shook her head again. "It's okay…I'm not crying…" Even so, there were evidently tears building up in her eyes.

Tomoya didn't want to make things worse. "…Well, I'll take your advice." He conceded.

Ryou smiled a bit. "Ah…O-okay…"

From his desk, Takahashi was observing the scene. "Haha, man…Makes me jealous. She doesn't really see me, does she? Tomoya, you lucky bastard…"

Ryou then proceeded to take out some playing cards and tried telling Tomoya's fortune. Takahashi turned back to his textbook. "I'll probably never score big like that."

And so rang the bell, signaling the start of class again.

…


	2. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: With Extreme Prejudice**

A few minutes after the chime, Tomoya heard a sound beside him. When he turned to look, he saw Sunohara returning to his own seat.

"Good morning!" Sunohara greeted Tomoya in a cheerful voice. "Isn't it a great morning? Bomb A Head! Can you feel it?"

_As usual, blabbering nonsense…_Tomoya placed his hand on his forehead. "You should thank my tolerance for your peaceful morning."

Sunohara eyed Tomoya strangely. "Huh? Is there a relationship between my peaceful morning and your tolerance?" Grinning, Sunohara answered his own question. "Haha! Of course not!"

_I'll show you no mercy next time…_Tomoya vowed silently. He then remembered what Takahashi had asked him to do. "Oh Sunohara. Here. Take this." Tomoya handed Sunohara the homeroom handout that Takahashi had given him. "Takahashi-san wants to you have this."

"Oh?" Sunohara took the paper, and stared at it. "Takahashi did, huh?"

Tomoya nodded. "Yeah. Are you close with the guy or something?"

A frown made its way to Sunohara's face. "We used to be on the soccer team together. After I left, he resigned as well, and joined the basketball team. We're still buddies though."

"Ah, I see." Tomoya responded absent mindedly. He didn't find too much interest in the topic at hand. "Hey, class is about to start."

"Well, in that case…" Sunohara immediately plopped down on his desk and made himself at home. "I'm going to spend my time sleeping until noon."

Tomoya shook his head in disbelief. "Weren't you sleeping a little while ago?"

"Yep." Sunohara gave a half-hearted reply. "But I suddenly woke up, so it can't be helped. I'm going to sleep now." With that last remark, Sunohara placed his on his desk.

_I guess sleepiness is contagious…_Thought Tomoya as he let out a yawn. Both Tomoya and Sunohara remained silent throughout the lesson.

…..

The chime sounded to signal the start of lunch break. Sunohara was already itching to be out of class. But before he could leave, Takahashi came over and stopped him. "Hey, Youhei…" Takahashi said, looking around the classroom. "Where were you this morning?"

Sunohara shrugged. "I was enjoying my morning. Nothing else really."

Takahashi narrowed his eyes at Sunohara. "So you were awake, but you didn't come to school? What's with you man? All this time, I was hoping to be able to talk to you, you know?"

Sunohara patted Takahashi on the shoulder. "Well, if that's the case, what did you want to talk about?"

Takahashi looked Sunohara right in the eye. "I was hoping to have a more carefree and lighthearted conversation, but I'm not quite in the mood right now. I'll find you later."

"Okay." Sunohara turned away and walked back to Tomoya. Takahashi promptly left the classroom as soon as Sunohara walked away. "That was rather weird…" Sunohara remarked as he left the classroom with Tomoya.

"I'll say." Tomoya said as he checked his wallet.

"So." Sunohara turned to face Tomoya. "What are you going to do this afternoon? Let's go out if you have some money."

Tomoya flipped through his wallet. "I don't have any money." He said.

Sunohara scratched the back of his head. "Well…I guess it's the cafeteria then."

Tomoya and Sunohara walked together down the corridor. "Hmph!" Sunohara jumped all of a sudden, and reached for the ceiling. "I have perfect form!" Sunohara asserted, satisfied that he fell just a bit short from the ceiling. "Aren't I amazing?"

"Yeah, amazing." Tomoya half-heartedly replied.

"But you know…" Sunohara continued with a grin. "I wasn't being serious right then. If I was serious, I might have ripped apart my school uniform."

Tomoya chuckled. "Good boy. Here, here."

Eventually, the two of them reached the Cafeteria. "Woah…crowded as usual." Sunohara muttered.

Indeed, the number of students present was staggering. It was like a baseball game had just finished, and now people were all exiting the building. It was difficult to even see the countertop of the Cafeteria.

Sunohara had a conniving grin on his face. "Well, in that case, we just need to make a first year group move." Looking around, Sunohara spotted a suitable target. "Look, there's our seats right there."

Sunohara approached a group of students that were chatting with each other. _I don't want to get involved with this…_Tomoya thought. Tomoya then exchanged his coupon for a kitsune udon. Holding it, Tomoya headed for an empty seat in the corner of the Cafeteria.

"Hey, Okazaki!" Sunohara called out to him. "The seat there is about to be free." Sunohara held his small meal tray and followed Tomoya. Sunohara approached a student, and said in a commanding voice, "Hey, this is my seat, so move it."

The student turned around. "Hah?" It was a third year rugby team member. "What, you want me to move when I'm still eating?"

Sunohara realized his mistake, and quickly tried to cover up. "Ah…no, sorry…I thought you were a first year…" Sunohara was sweating bullets already.

The student glared at Sunohara. "But, if I were a first year, you would have made me move even if I was eating?"

Sunohara started backing away, "No, I won't, I won't…"

At that very moment, a first year rugby team member perked up. "This guy made me move while I was in the middle of eating before!"

Sunohara glared at him. "Damn you! Why did you say that?"

The third year student cracked his knuckles. "Now I understand. Shall we go a little further to the back?" He grabbed Sunohara by the collar, and started pulling Sunohara away.

"UWAAAAA!" Sunohara left a trail of screams as he was dragged away. However, just as the rugby student was about to take Sunohara out the Cafeteria, another student stepped in his way.

"What do you want? Move it." The rugby team member said to him. Tomoya tried to make out the student that stood in the path of the rugby team member. "Wait…That's Takahashi, isn't it?" Tomoya murmured.

Takahashi stood right in front of the rugby team member. Takahashi pointed a finger at him. "Let that guy go, right now! You have three seconds!" He barked.

"What's this?" The rugby team member snarled. He dropped Sunohara. "It seems like you're itching for a fight!" With that, he threw a punch straight at Takahashi's face.

However, Takahashi was better prepared than he seemed. "Whoa!" Tomoya exclaimed. In no more than three seconds, the rugby team member was lying on the ground, writhing in pain.

Though Tomoya didn't catch exactly what happened, it seemed that Takahashi had sidestepped the punch, delivered a kick to each of the rugby team member's shins, then sent two rapid karate chops to his wrists. As the rugby team member fell to his knees, Takahashi then threw a palm press right into his forehead and sent him sprawling.

Pushing his glasses up, Takahashi walked over and glared down at his opponent. "You dare to raise your hand against another student? Know your place." He said flatly.

The two of them were far enough away from the crowd of students that no one really noticed the brief scuffle. The rugby team member scampered away from Takahashi and became one with the crowd. Takahashi, looking satisfied, offered his hand to Sunohara. "Are you alright?" He asked Sunohara.

Sunohara took Takahashi's hand, and Takahashi pulled him up. Sunohara laughed. "Yea, I'm fine. Thanks for the save."

Takahashi sighed and shook his head. "You really gotta watch it, Youhei. Stop pulling off stupid things like that. I'm not your bodyguard, you know."

Tomoya came over and joined them. "Takahashi-san." Tomoya said, still dazed by what he just saw. "That…that was pretty amazing. You put him down in just a few seconds…"

Takahashi chucked and shook his head again. "Nah, I just got lucky. He was in such a rage that he left himself wide open." He turned back to Sunohara. "Watch yourself now, okay?"

Sunohara nodded. "Haha, yeah, I get you. Anyhow, you wanna eat lunch now?"

Takahashi concurred. "Sounds like a good idea to me."

Tomoya laughed. "I heard that."

The three of them ate their lunches quickly, and then left the Cafeteria.

As Takahashi and Sunohara talked about some rap song, Tomoya pondered what he should do next. As they wandered the corridor, a student said something that caught Tomoya's attention. "Look at that girl. That girl there." The student was pointing outside a window as she continued to talking to her friend. "She looks kind of cute, eating her bread alone. I wonder which classroom she belongs to. I haven't seen her before."

Tomoya crossed his arms and started to think. He then looked out the down at the courtyard. There, sitting at the edge of the stone steps, was a girl eating her bread all by herself. _It's her._ Tomoya thought.

"Hey, Sunohara, Takahashi-san. There's something I need to do. I'll meet you back in class, alright?"

"Huh?" Sunohara gave Tomoya a funny look. Takahashi looked at Tomoya with a knowing smile. "Right then." Takahashi said. He grabbed Sunohara by the arm and pulled him away. "Come on Youhei. Let's go to the field for a bit."

"Huh? What?" Sunohara looked back and forth rapidly between Takahashi and Tomoya before Takahashi had pulled him around the corner. "Hey! Takahashi!" Sunohara protested, pulling his arm free. "What's the matter with you?"

Takahashi held up both hands like an outlaw who had a gun aimed at him. "It's obvious that he wanted a bit of time to himself. I was just being considerate." He then crossed his arms and went right back to grinning. "It's also convenient for me, since the two of us can make up for lost time."

"Huh…? Now you're starting to creep me out…" Sunohara gave Takahashi a suspicious glance.

Takahashi chuckled. "At ease, man. No need to get all worked up. I wanted to ask though, how have things been for you since…you left the soccer team?"

Sunohara dropped his gaze to the floor. "Why…why do you want to know?"

Takahashi sighed, but kept his smile. "Do I need a reason to worry about a friend? Come on, just say it."

Sunohara turned to look out the window. "Well, things aren't better. Let's just leave it at that."

Takahashi continued to apply pressure. "So what? Are your grades still bad and you're always late for class?"

Sunohara didn't respond, but gave a nod.

Takahashi gave an overly dramatic cringe in response. "That's no good man! Think about your future. How do you plan to get into a university like that?"

Sunohara shrugged. "University isn't really my thing. I'll come up with something when the time comes."

Takahashi exhaled deeply. "You're still like this huh?" He pats Sunohara on the shoulder. "Least you've got a friend like Okazaki-san."

Sunohara gently pushed Takahashi's hand away, and turned to face the window, leaving his back to Takahashi. Sunohara remained silent for a while.

"Well, hang in there." Takahashi said, turning away as well. "I'll see you when lunch break is over. Oh, and I'll drop by your place tonight. Just so you aren't surprised."

Sunohara didn't give a response, and continued staring out the window. Takahashi felt that it was inappropriate to push Sunohara anymore, and started heading back to class.

As he walked back to class, Takahashi sighed and shook his head. "Good grief." He mumbled.

…


	3. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Those Who Have Lost Dreams**

Classes resumed shortly after. Right before the final chime went, Tomoya stepped into the classroom. Takahashi was already seated in his desk, but Sunohara was nowhere to be seen. _Skipping again…?_ Tomoya wondered. "Hey, Takahashi-san!" Tomoya called out. "Where did Sunohara go?"

Takahashi kept his head down, and didn't answer for a moment. With some difficulty, Takahashi started to talk. "I think he's…still at the corridor we left you at. He seemed upset about something. I think it was my fault…"

"Oh?" Tomoya inquired. "Did you say something to the guy?"

Takahashi let out a nervous laugh, but didn't look up. "It seemed I tried pushing him a bit too hard, and it got on his nerves…"

Takahashi remained silent after. Sensing a heavy amount of tension coming from Takahashi, Tomoya didn't say anything else, and returned to his desk. Tomoya turned to look out the window. _That girl I met during the lunch break…_He sighed deeply. _What a pitiful girl…she said she felt like Urashima Tarou…I wonder what that feels like._ Tomoya continued to stare at the scenery outside, not paying attention to the lesson.

…..

The fifth period class ended. Only one more period of lessons before school was out. Sunohara had finally returned to class during the break. Takahashi perked up his head to look at Sunohara, but immediately turned his head away, as if he were ashamed of something. Sunohara didn't seem to notice this, and returned his desk. Sunohara then put his head down on his desk, and started dozing off. Tomoya was curious about what had happened between the two, but Sunohara either didn't care or didn't want to talk about it, and at the same time, Takahashi wasn't in the mood for chatting.Having no one to talk to, Tomoya returned his gaze to the window. "Huh…?" There were two bikes stopped on the slope outside the school gates. The two riders were both young men, wearing no helmets. From there, one of them waved his hand, making a sign. The two bikes started running wildly in the area within the school, making loud noises. _Something like this happened, near the end of last year._ Tomoya thought.

"Oh? What's this?" Sunohara had awakened from his sleep. Stepping on Tomoya's desk, he peered out the window at the bikers.

"Gah…You idiot! Don't suddenly step on someone else's desk!" Tomoya grumbled.

"Just ignore it." Sunohara replied while grinning. "Woah! What a loud noise!"

Many students began to gather at the windows to see what was going on. _This is so damn annoying..._Tomoya grimaced and looked away. Takahashi remained in his desk, looking at his textbook, trying his best to ignore what was happening. Though eventually, Takahashi surrendered as well, and walked over to the windows.

"What's all the commotion about?" Posing a rhetorical question, Takahashi also peered outside to see what was happening. "…" Takahashi suddenly had a frown on his face. "I'll be right back. If you'll excuse me." With that last remark, Takahashi exited the classroom.

Tomoya then glanced out the window as well. Suddenly, loud noises could be heard from all the classes next door to theirs.

"Now what…?" Sunohara wondered. One of the students leaned forward and pointed down below. Tomoya and Sunohara looked down._ There's a student…no wait…two students…Hey, is that Takahashi?_ Tomoya could see two students calmly walking towards the bikers. One had short hair, and the other had long hair and a slender body. The first one was definitely a guy, the other was a girl.

"Huuuu!" Sunohara cheered. "Are they going to lecture them?"

Tomoya frowned. The guy wasn't Takahashi. It was someone he didn't know. _If that's the case, where did he go…?_ Tomoya turned to look at the classroom exit. _Scratch that. I wonder what the teachers are doing, not coming out._

"Woah! It's going to start!" Sunohara's voice suggested that he could barely contain his excitement.

The bikes stopped right in front of the two students. It appeared that they were talking about something. After a while, the guy with the short hair shrugged and stepped away. At the same time, a girl shouted, "Get 'em, Tomoyo-san!"

Sunohara snickered. "Get them? That girl? Ahaha, as if she can."

Tomoya continued to watch the scene intently. At this point, the guy with the short hair had already returned to the school. The girl suddenly smiled. _She might be thinking, 'Interesting…'_ Tomoya thought. Before Tomoya realized it, he heard cheering from inside the school for the female student as she returned. She was also dragging both bikers in with her.

"…" Tomoya was stunned again. He had just watched Takahashi take down that rugby team member, and now this._ Do these sorts of people even belong on this planet?_ He contemplated that thought for a bit. Sunohara was also speechless for a moment. "….What the hell was that?" Sunohara wondered out loud. Tomoya promptly left his seat and exited the classroom. "I'm going too! Wait!" Sunohara called after Tomoya and followed him.

…

Tomoya and Sunohara eventually reached the staff room. Over there, curious onlookers gathered. Tomoya saw a lot of faces he didn't recognize, and all of them were underclassmen. Sunohara and Tomoya were the only third year students present.

A teacher was speaking to the girl who had beaten up the bikers. "And…?"

The female student looked right back at the teacher. "It was legitimate self-defense." She stated firmly. "Isn't that right, you guys?"

She glared at the bikers, which prompted them to answer, "Y-yes! We started all of it! It's not Tomoyo-san's fault!"

The teacher frowned. "Tomoyo-san? Knowing her name means you're acquainted with her."

Tomoyo shook her head. "No. They just heard my name and answered that. Isn't that right you guys?" Her eyes glittered.

The bikers gave a small squeal, before answering in unison, "Yes! That's right!"

The teacher nodded skeptically. "I see…Well, I'll let them go for now, and have them reflect on what happened."

"You know, you really shouldn't have used force. Next time, let the teachers handle it." Another voice said.

Tomoya looked for the source of the voice. "Hey, it's Takahashi. So this is where he was." He pointed at Takahashi.

Sunohara looked in the direction for a moment, before turning his attention back to Tomoyo.

"Ah, yes. I'll do that next time." Tomoyo replied. "Well then, if you'll excuse me." Tomoyo started walking away.

"Hey, you." Tomoya grabbed one of the onlookers. "Who is she?"

"Eh?" The student looked puzzled. "Isn't she Tomoyo-san?"

_His reply sounds like he's telling me that I should know that celebrity._ Tomoya thought.

The student continued. "Sakagami Tomoyo. She's a second year student that transferred here this spring."

Tomoya shook his head in disbelief. "Is she always doing this kind of stuff?"

The student shrugged. "Well, sometimes, I guess. When the teachers of the staff room were away, she was the only one who fought against them. She's cool!

"If she made even one mistake, she'd look like a mere idiot…" Tomoya muttered.

"If she were an idiot, she wouldn't have passed her admission test!" The student retorted.

Tomoya put a hand to his face. "That's not what I meant…"

"Didn't you pass your admission test?" Tomoyo called back.

The onlookers were pushing each other and made a path for Tomoyo to leave. Tomoya stared at her back for a while. _…We have such a peculiar person in this school?_ He pondered. _I didn't know._

A hand fell on Tomoya's shoulder. "Hey. We should be heading back to class." It was Takahashi's.

Tomoya nodded. "Yea, let's go."

Takahashi and Tomoya started walking. Sunohara was still fretting about something though. "There's definitely something strange here…" He muttered. "It's not possible."

Tomoya sighed. 'Leave it be."

Takahashi chipped in as well. "What's so hard to believe about that? She's an extraordinary person, that's all."

Realizing he was the only one still standing there, Sunohara frantically chased after them. "Wait for me!"

"Oh that's right." Tomoya turned to face Takahashi. "Why did you leave class all of a sudden? I seriously thought you were going out to fight them or something."

Takahashi waved his hand in front of his face. "Nothing of the sort. I may not look it, but I try to avoid using force. There are some exceptions to that though. Anyways, I went to the staff room to go tell the teachers."

"Oh, I see." Tomoya crossed his arms. "Well, why did you beat down that rugby team member during lunch? Was that one of your exceptions?"

Takahashi suddenly had a strained expression on his face. He clenched his fists as well. "That…that was an exception. Because Sunohara is my friend."

"I see." Tomoya backed off. It seemed like anything related to Sunohara was taboo around Takahashi at the moment.

The three of them continued walking in silence, until they reached their classroom.

….

Homeroom ended, and it was after school now.

"Huaah…I slept well. " Sunohara yawned. "Well, shall we go somewhere, Okazaki?"

"You're pretty optimistic huh?" Tomoya sighed.

Sunohara chuckled. "Well, we need to have fun somewhere after school. Where are you going, Okazaki?"

"Like I said, I don't have any money." Tomoya stood up.

"I see." Sunohara replied. "Well, I'm broke too."

Tomoya suddenly remembered the girl he had met earlier. _I wonder if she had the courage to go the drama room…_

"Sunohara." Tomoya started walking away. 'There's something I need to go do. I'll see you later."

"Eh?" Sunohara was dumbfounded. "Hey, where-"

"Hey, Youhei." Takahashi called out to Sunohara. "Let's go to your place. Okazaki-san is bound to show up after."

Sunohara slowly nodded. "Yea…sounds good…" That said, his voice suggested that it was anything but good.

Takahashi tried to smile. "Come on, let's get going."

The two of them left the school, and headed right to Sunohara's room.

…

There wasn't much to do at Sunohara's place. Takahashi simply sat down in front of Sunohara's bed reading a textbook, while Sunohara stared at the ceiling, deep in thought about something. Eventually, the silence became to suffocating for Sunohara. "Hey, Takahashi." He said. "I got a few questions."

Takahashi looked up. "Well, fire them out. I'll answer as best I can."

Sunohara still had a puzzled expression on his face. "You remember that Tomoyo girl that you were talking to before?"

Takahashi nodded. "Yea. What about her?"

Sunohara placed his right hand on his chin. "Do you think it was a set-up?"

"A set-up?" Takahashi echoed. "What do you mean by that?"

"There's no way she could just beat those guys down so easily." Sunohara insisted. "I'm betting that she paid them or something. She just transferred here in spring right? Something like that would make her popular."

"Peh." Takahashi shook his head. "Don't delve right into conspiracy theories. Chances are 10 to 1 that she isn't faking it."

"I just can't believe it. No way can a girl like her be stronger than a guy!" Sunohara argued.

Takahashi stifled a snigger. "Being a bit sexist are we? Challenge her then. You'll get your proof in a big way. If you get what I mean."

Sunohara shot Takahashi a glare. "You saying I'll lose?"

Takahashi waved his hand. "I'm just trying to watch out for your well-being, you know? If she's for reals, then you'll be put down like a little puppy."

"Tch!" Sunohara turned away. "You'll see. Let's wait until Okazaki's here."

And for the next little while, Takahashi and Sunohara awaited Tomoya's entrance.

…


	4. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Reconstruction**

It was about 6 PM. Tomoya made his way to Sunohara's place. As he prepared to enter the doorway to the dormitory building, he suddenly heard a noise. _Do do do do do do…_ Tomoya quickly jumped away from the doorway. The door suddenly burst open, and boys came flooding out from the door, as if running away from a monster. They were a group of rugby team members.

"HEY-!" A woman shouted, chasing after them. But the boys were quick, and they bolted in all directions, leaving the woman standing there shaking her head. "Those guys…"

The woman stopped beside Tomoya. It was the dorm landlady, Misae Sagara. _Even if you don't live here, if you visit often enough you'll surely be an acquaintance of hers, even if you don't like it._ Tomoya thought.

"Peeping in the girls dormitory…are they grade school students?" Misae fussed.

"You're too easy on them, Misae-san." Tomoya said. "Those sports club members are idiots after all. They won't get it unless you punish them."

"What's that, Okazaki?' Misae looked at Tomoya with a tired facial expression. Sighing, Misae agreed. "I guess that's the only thing to do. Though we don't really have that kind of rule here…"

"You're not the dorm landlady of a girls' school, so there's no need to act like one." Tomoya pointed out.

"I guess it can't be helped." Misae nodded. "I'll give them a slap."

"Not that way." Tomoya shot down that prospect. "They'll just run away again."

"What should I do then?" Misae asked.

"I know." Tomoya snapped his fingers. "You should hold them in an arm-lock until they reconsider."

"Wouldn't they just escape? They're rugby players." Misae responded.

Tomoya gave a thumbs up. "There's a way to cover for that. You should hold their hands like this…Then twist your body like this to bring them down to the floor." Tomoya demonstrated.

Misae was still skeptical. "I wonder if that will work…"

_Clatter._ Sunohara walked up to them. "What are you talking about in front of other people's rooms?"

Tomoya gave an evil smile. "Yo, peeping tom." He said to Sunohara.

"…huh..?" Sunohara didn't understand what was going on.

"Divine…" Misae suddenly took hold of Sunohara's arm. "Punish-ment!"

Sunohara's body twisted around in half. "GYAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Misae arm-locked Sunohara. "You won't peep in the girls' dorm again, will you?" Misae said menacingly.

Sunohara flailed around. "No, I won't peep!"

"You swear?" Misae continued pushing Sunohara's arm. It was past a natural angle now.

Sunohara screamed in pain. "I swear-!"

"All right then." Misae released Sunohara. "Wow…it's really effective."

Tomoya snickered. _Yeah…to turn someone from innocent to guilty so quickly._ He thought.

Sunohara slowly picked himself up from the floor.

"Ahh…but then…" Misae murmured. "It's sad when you become a violent dorm landlady…"

Misae walked away sighing. And then just up ahead. "GYAAAAAAAAAAH!" A different scream could be heard.

_She learns pretty fast._ Tomoya was rather amused.

"Hey…did I do something wrong…?" Sunohara asked Tomoya.

Tomoya chuckled. "You still won't admit it?"

Sunohara rubbed his shoulder. "I don't know any more with this intense pain…Anyways, Takahashi's here too. Come on."

Tomoya entered Sunohara's room. "Yo." He waved his hand at Takahashi.

"Hey there." Takahashi waved back, but his gaze did not leave his textbook. "I heard screaming outside just now. What happened?"

Tomoya lied down on Sunohara's bed and started reading manga. "Nothing much. Another conspiracy has just been vanquished."

"Hey…If two are just going to read, you should take those books home and read it there."

Takahashi waved his hand. "It's not quite the same when I'm at home, you know."

Tomoya looked up. "Don't say such lonesome words. I want to read some manga with you."

Sunohara alternated glances between Tomoya and Takahashi. "Why is that?"

Tomoya pretended to be deep in thought. "How do I say this…I feel calm when I'm with you…"

Takahashi didn't feign ignorance, but said, "I'd rather be with my friends than be by myself."

Sunohara scratched the back of his head. "Are you two serious? Ahaha…if you say it like that, I don't feel like driving you out."

Takahashi laughed a bit. "Thanks. That means a lot."

"Ah." Tomoya raised his hand. "Is the tea ready yet?"

Sunohara closed his eyes and frowned. "Okazaki, please leave now."

"The tea you bring in is delicious." Tomoya continued.

Sunohara had an annoyed look on his face. "I don't remember bringing in tea for you!"

Takahashi closed his textbook. _Slam!_ "I guess it can't be helped." He fumbled through his backpack. "Here, I still have some tea. It's a foreign brand, so don't expect too much." He handed Tomoya a glass bottle.

"Arizona…" Tomoya read the name printed on the bottle. "Isn't that one of the United States?"

Takahashi sighed. "Just leave it be. Oh, and Youhei. Try this crossword puzzle. It'll help improve your English grammar as well as your cognitive abilities." He handed Sunohara a manga book.

"The answers can be found in the next issue…which Okazaki is currently holding." Sunohara grumbled.

"That's alright." Tomoya chuckled. "I'll check your answers. If it's correct, I'll praise you. Good luck."

"Who do you think you are?" Sunohara demanded.

"Your master." Tomoya shot back.

"Hey now…" Takahashi said, getting in between them. "Youhei, just try the puzzle. And Okazaki-san, drink that tea. The flavour should ease your troubled mind."

"Hmph." Sunohara turned away with the puzzle. "Fine, I'll give it a shot."

Tomoya opened the glass bottle, and tried its contents. "…Iced tea? Are you serious…?"

Takahashi shrugged. "I said, don't expect too much."

After a while…

"I quit! Forget it!" Sunohara tossed aside the crossword puzzle. "Damn, this is boring. There's nothing interesting to do."

"That's right, wasn't _that_ interesting?" Tomoya asked.

Sunohara looked at Tomoya. "_That_? What do you mean?"

"The fuss in front of the school gates." Tomoya replied

"Oh." Sunohara nodded. "That girl Tomoyo?"

"Yeah, about that." Tomoya put aside the manga he was reading.

"I don't like her methods." Sunohara muttered. "Wasn't that an awful show?"

Takahashi looked up from his textbook. "What do you mean? She put them away in barely five seconds. Sounds quite amazing to me."

Tomoya nodded. "Yea, what do you mean by that?"

Sunohara narrowed his eyes. "A single woman, pulverizing two men? There's no such thing."

Takahashi sighed. "Didn't we already talk about this? What's so hard to believe about that?"

"You saw it too, right? Don't turn your eyes away from reality." Tomoya added.

"That's definitely a fake." Sunohara asserted. "It's simple. She talked them into it."

Takahashi closed his textbook again. _Slam!_ "Good grief…" He sighed. "Didn't I say not to jump into those sorts of theories?"

"Think about it." Sunohara didn't back down. "The commotion was all gathered at a spot suitable for dramatics. And didn't she actually become an instant favourite in one go?"

Tomoya pondered that for a moment, before responding. "That's probably just a coincidence."

Sunohara shook his head. Then he clenched his fist. "All right then, I'll do this. I'll pick a fight with her tomorrow. I'll prove to you that I'm still strong and that the stuff in front of the school gate was a fake."

Tomoya sighed. "Yeah, well do your best then."

Takahashi placed his hand on his forehead. "Like I said, if you're wrong, you'll get your proof in a big way."

Sunohara didn't pay attention to Takahashi. "Hmm…It's been a while since my arms rumbled."

….

"Huaah…I'm going to sleep." Sunohara muttered.

It was three in the morning now, and Takahashi had already left 4 hours ago.

"Hmm. I guess I'll go as well." Tomoya threw aside the manga he was reading, and headed for the door. "I'll see you later then."

"Yeah…" Sunohara yawned, and closed the light after Tomoya left.

…..

The next day, right before homeroom started, Tomoya entered the classroom. Takahashi walked over to him and greeted him. "Top of the morning, eh? So you finally decided to start coming to class on time?"

Tomoya held a hand up to his face. "Yeah…"

Takahashi looked at Tomoya curiously. "What's the problem? If you feel sick, I can take you to the infirmary."

"No, that's not it." Tomoya muttered. "Fujibayashi's fortune telling is a sham…"

"Huh?" Takahashi laughed. "Is that all? Oh man, I was seriously worried for a moment. Well, it just goes to show, that fortune telling ain't always right. I like to think of it like this. Don't always believe in fortunes and stuff. In the end, you decide your fate."

"Yeah, yeah…" Tomoya sat down in his desk, and looked out the window.

The homeroom teacher entered the class shortly after, which signaled the start of homeroom. Takahashi promptly returned to his desk.

….

After homeroom ended, Tomoya decided that he'd relax before the first period of classes. The class wasn't preparing to do anything, so Tomoya just spaced out. Takahashi decided to take out a hand held game console and entertained himself. As usual, Sunohara was nowhere to be seen.

As Takahashi played his game, he noticed that Ryou was talking to Tomoya again. _Probably to discuss how bad that fortune telling went…_Takahashi thought. _It makes me jealous, in a way. I should ask her to read my fortune some time as well._

Ryou had taken out her deck of cards, and was probably fortune telling for Tomoya again. She dropped the cards as she was shuffling, but didn't pick up the cards. Instead, she looked at the fallen cards, and began telling Tomoya his fortune.

…

After the first period had ended, Tomoya felt really sleepy. _The lessons really don't go through to my head…Fujibayashi's fortune telling doesn't seem to improve that…_He thought drowsily. _Should I spend second period sleeping…or just leave the classroom?_

As Tomoya spaced out, he heard a familiar voice. "Uwaah!" A voice suddenly exclaimed. "Why are you here! This is unusual. Isn't it still early?"

"…Kyou…?" Tomoya asked. Indeed, it was Kyou Fujibayashi, Ryou's older twin sister. She was one of the few students who were unconcerned about talking to Tomoya, even though he was labeled a delinquent. _She should be in the next classroom though._ Tomoya thought.

"Why are you in this classroom?" Tomoya inquired.

"Hmm? Because of this." Kyou showed Tomoya an object enveloped by a flower patterned napkin. It was a lunch box.

That woke Tomoya up, but not in a good way. "…Is that for me?" He asked sullenly.

Kyou looked at Tomoya the way one would look at a sick person. "Are you stupid? Why would I give you a lunch box?"

_That's true…_Tomoya breathed a sigh of relief. _I suddenly got worried for no reason. I doubt she'd serve me food without poisoning it._

Kyou gave Tomoya a weird look. "Are you thinking something bad?"

Tomoya shook his head. "It's just your imagination."

"Ah…" Ryou came over as well. "Sis? What's wrong?"

"Ah…Ryou." Kyou handed Ryou the lunch box. "Here."

"My lunch box…" Ryou looked at the lunch box she was just given.

"Yes." Kyou smiled. "You left it on the table."

"Thank you for bringing it." Ryou bowed.

"It's fine. I don't really mind." Kyou said.

"…Why are you handing it to her…?" Tomoya asked.

"Hmm? What?" Kyou looked at Tomoya.

"Like I said, both of you live in the same house, so why are you bringing her that lunch box?" Tomoya tried again. "Both of you go to school together, right?"

"Ah…Sis woke up a little late…" Ryou answered.

"You should have woken her up." Tomoya said.

Takahashi continued observing the scene. He couldn't tell what they were talking about since they were pretty far away, but the conversation seemed interesting. _I guess I'll join them. Youhei still isn't here, so this will kill some time._ Takahashi stood up and walked over to Tomoya's desk.

"I hate buses." Kyou grumbled.

"Yo." Takahashi greeted Kyou. "Good day to you."

"Um…Who is this?" Kyou eyed Takahashi.

"Oh, forgive me, I haven't introduced myself yet." Takahashi bowed gracefully. "I am Takahashi Mirao. I am pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Oh, um…" Kyou was caught off-guard by Takahashi's unusual formality. "I'm Kyou Fujibayashi. Nice to meet you. By the way, Tomoya…" She turned back to face Tomoya. "You're quite early today. Why are you here so early?"

"I decided not to come late." Tomoya replied.

"I am glad he decided to." Takahashi interjected. "I rarely ever get a chance to talk with him, since he usually doesn't show up until the third period."

"…" Kyou remained silent. After a while… "That's a lie, right?" She asked Tomoya.

"Is it really that rare for me to not be late?" Tomoya retorted.

Kyou nodded. "It's unusual since the chances of seeing a UFO are higher, right?"

"Hey now…" Takahashi said gently. "Don't be so harsh."

"Ohh…? That's like saying my existence exceeds that of a supernatural phenomenon." Tomoya grumbled.

"Ah, could it be that you've been at school ever since class ended yesterday?" Kyou suggested.

"I-is that true…?" Ryou asked.

Takahashi answered for Tomoya. "Nah. He was with me and Youhei."

"Then…" Kyou grinned mischievously. "That means you're an imposter."

"Eh…You're not Okazaki-kun?" Ryou looked hard at Tomoya.

_Then where's the real one…_Tomoya didn't voice that sentiment though. He sighed. "I fought my fate today."

"…" Kyou didn't respond to that. With a slightly troubled face, she touched Tomoya's forehead.

"I don't have a fever." Tomoya said in a hurry.

"…" Kyou still gave Tomoya a dubious look.

"Don't look at me with such eyes. It creeps me out." Tomoya complained.

"…" Kyou suddenly had a scary smile.

"And don't look at me with contempt as well!" Tomoya snapped. "Normally, you'd ask about that fate."

"Oh? You mean the fortune telling?" Takahashi asked. "That is predicting fate in a way."

"Yeah, that's right." Tomoya nodded.

"…Are you saying Ryou read your fortune?" Kyou questioned Tomoya.

"Yeah." Tomoya answered.

Kyou suddenly looked at Tomoya with doubtful eyes. "What's that face for…?" Tomoya asked.

"Nothing…" Kyou's voice suggested that there definitely was something.

"Oh, Fujibayashi-san read his fortune this morning as well." Takahashi said.

"Ah…Yes, I did." Ryou nodded.

"What came up?" Kyou inquired.

"Well…" Ryou spoke in a soft voice. "He'll meet a kind girl with a fiery impact. Then, he'll refresh his body and spirit."

"And that's it." Tomoya waved his hand. "So?"

"….." Kyou had a dubious look on her face again.

"Like I said, what's that doubtful face for?" Tomoya demanded.

Shaking her head, Kyou sighed and put her hand on Tomoya's shoulder. Then she nodded her head, and murmured to herself. Kyou looked carefully at Tomoya, as if she completely understood what was going on. "Well, good luck with that."

Saying just that, Kyou left the classroom. "…What did she mean by that…?" Tomoya posed a rhetoric question.

"Oh, that reminds me." Takahashi turned to Ryou. "Fujibayashi-san, can you read my fortune too?"

"Ah. Yes." Ryou nodded, and pulled out her deck of cards.

Tomoya was still slightly bothered by Kyou's comment, and didn't pay attention to what Ryou was saying to Takahashi. By the time they were done, the bell had already started, and everyone returned to their desks.


	5. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Expositionary Banter **

The second period lessons started. Tomoya was lost in thought as he listened to the voice of the teacher like background music. _What I remember is…it's about the girl from yesterday. And the cardboard boxes piled up in disorder. It was a ruthless scenery…I wonder…is she doing her best this morning? _Tomoya rested his chin on his hand, and began thinking about that while looking out the window.

…..

At the same time that the second period lesson ended, Sunohara finally appeared in class. "Yo! I'm finally here!"

"Ah, I thought you weren't going to be late today!" Takahashi immediately greeted him with a scold. "You're school record is bad enough as is!"

Sunohara was indifferent and filtered out Takahashi's lecture, allowing it in through one ear and out through the other. "Yea, yea, I hear you."

Sunohara approached Tomoya. "What did you come here for?" Tomoya asked.

"We talked about it last night." Sunohara said. "To have a match with that second year girl, Tomoyo. We're going now."

Tomoya sighed. 'So, you were serious."

Sunohara nodded with a sly grin. "This has top priority. I have to teach her not to take this school so lightly. Come on, let's go."

Takahashi was within earshot and walked over to Sunohara. "I'm coming along as well. You'll probably need someone certified in first aid to come with you." He gave a thumb up. Sunohara didn't seem to hear the "certified in first aid" part.

Tomoya stood up and followed Sunohara and Takahashi into the hallway. "Good grief…"Tomoya sighed.

…

"What's her name?" Sunohara asked Tomoya.

"I'm sure her name is Tomoyo Sakagami." Tomoya replied.

"You're sure? That is her name, you know." Takahashi said.

Sunohara suddenly had a creepy grin plastered on his face. "Hmm…what a simple minded idea for a name." He mused.

"So says the guy with one that is hard to read." Tomoya shot back.

"My name has nothing to do with that, right?" Sunohara countered.

"Anyways…" Takahashi waved a hand. "She's in Class 2-B. Do you want to head over there right now?"

….

A while later, the three of them stood in front of Class 2-B. Sunohara looked up at the plate overhead to make sure. "Here we are…" He breathed, barely containing his excitement. "Let's go."

"Right then, let's watch." Takahashi suggested to Tomoya. Tomoya nodded.

Sunohara made a grand entrance inside the second year classroom. He caught a couple of guys who were chatting, and asked them about Tomoyo. He then returned to Takahashi and Tomoya with a disappointed look on his face. "She's not here." He muttered.

"She'll come if you wait, right?" Tomoya replied.

"I wonder about that…" Sunohara said. "She might be somewhere paying her minions their performance fee…" 

"You're still going on about that?" Takahashi gave Sunohara an exasperated look. "Why can't you accept that it wasn't staged?"

"Because obviously it was!" Sunohara retorted.

"You're in the way." It was a voice from behind them.

The three of them turned around. _Dong!_ Sunohara was suddenly pushed away when a girl suddenly went inside the class room.

"Hey, I guess you really are weak, aren't you?" Tomoya laughed. He squatted in front of Sunohara, who had fallen to the ground.

Sunohara grimaced as he stood up. "Even a Buddhist can't avoid a surprise attack…" He said.

"You think Buddhists are martial artists?" Takahashi inquired. "I'd disagree with that to some extent."

"It's just an example! An example!" Sunohara shouted back.

"Interpret it correctly then." Tomoya said calmly.

"How would I know, idiot!" Sunohara retorted, dusting himself off.

"Damn it, I'll beat down that guy who just hit me! That person who just pushed me, come out!" Sunohara shouted inside the classroom.

The classroom suddenly becomes quiet. "Looks like the air is shifting now." Takahashi observed. "It's likely that a boss character will make an appearance soon."

"That doesn't even make sense." Tomoya whispered back.

Inside the class room, there's a sound of a chair being moved away. "You're noisy." A female student suddenly stands up. Her overbearing eyes shot through Sunohara.

"Hey, Okazaki…" Sunohara whispered.

"Yeah, your fate has been kind to you." Tomoya replied.

"What? You have business with me?" Tomoyo asked. "Are you angry because of what happened a while ago? You're blocking the way by standing in the entrance, and you're bothering my classmates."

"Who cares about that?" Sunohara shouted.

"I understand. I'll be gentle next time." Tomoyo gave a polite reply, and went back inside the classroom.

"Hey wait!" Sunohara called after her, and suddenly catches her shoulder.

"Hey, Okazaki-san…" Takahashi whispered. "You think Youhei stands a chance against her? I was thinking if things get hairy, maybe I should step in…"

Tomoya shrugged. "There isn't a doubt in my mind that he stands no chance at all. Whether you do something or not is up to you. I'm just here for the show."

"What?" Tomoyo turned around. "You still have some business?"

"You have a problem finishing your apologizes." Sunohara said angrily.

"No, I didn't apologize." Tomoyo responded.

"You're being treated like a fool." Tomoya pointed out to Sunohara.

"You…" Sunohara growled, clenching his hand into a fist. "Come into the hallway!"

Tomoyo looked around. There were plenty of people watching the commotion. "You're a hopeless person…" Tomoyo sighed. 'I'll come." She left the classroom and stepped into the hallway.

"That's right; you accompanied some guys yesterday too." Sunohara remarked.

Tomoya and Takahashi watched Tomoyo and Sunohara converse from a distance. "I'm not really getting it, but is he still trying to take a stab at her about the guys yesterday?" Takahashi asked.

Tomoya nodded. "Looks like it. He's certainly not giving up on that."

After a while, Tomoyo suddenly had a somewhat angry look on her face. "…I was thinking that I shouldn't lay a finger on students from this school. But I'll make an exception for you." She glared at Sunohara. "To begin with, you're behaving like a delinquent student. Nobody will blame me for doing this, right?"

"Yeah, nobody, so do as you wish." Tomoya replied.

"Hey, Okazaki-san, that's a bit harsh…" Takahashi whispered.

"Whose side are you on?" Sunohara demanded.

Tomoya smiled. "Not even an inch on yours." He replied calmly.

"Gr…" Sunohara turned his attention back to Tomoyo. "Come anytime you want."

"This is legitimate self-defence. So you should come at me." Tomoyo stood ready.

"Don't regret what you just said!" Sunohara quipped. "Don't get your hopes up. Die!"

Sunohara charged at Tomoyo, like a movie character that was likely to be killed. At that time, Tomoya remembered something, about a rumour that he had heard.

"_There was an incredibly strong girl in this town. She wandered around at night, walking, and hunting bad people who bothered ordinary folk. The girl, burrowed under the moonlight, was absolutely dreadful…and she was absolutely beautiful."_

As soon as Tomoya finished that train of thought, he noted that Sunohara had been sent to the floor by a kick. "…That was the rumour." Tomoya remarked.

"You should have said that before she got me!" Sunohara gave Tomoya an angry glare. Sunohara was beat up, with worn-out clothes. "Damn it!" Sunohara tried to throw another punch at Tomoyo. Tomoyo, in returned, aimed a kick at his face.

"That's enough!" Takahashi yelled. He jumped in between Sunohara and Tomoyo, catching both Sunohara's punch and Tomoyo's kick.

"You're in the way!" Sunohara protested. 

Takahashi let go of Tomoyo, but kept an iron grip on Sunohara. "That's enough." Takahashi repeated. "Let's go back to class already."

"Get out of my way!" Sunohara yelled, using his other arm to throw another punch at Tomoyo. Takahashi quickly jumped in front of Sunohara, and raised his other hand to block it. _Wham! _Takahashi suddenly got slammed against the wall next to him, knocking his glasses off his face.

Though he had stopped Sunohara's punch, he had forgotten that Tomoyo was behind him. Seeing Sunohara's punch coming, Tomoyo had opted to aim a kick at his head again. But since Takahashi jumped in front of Sunohara, he received Tomoyo's kick right to the neck.

"Whoa, hey, are you okay?" Tomoya rushed to Takahashi's side.

"I'm sorry." Tomoyo said apologetically. "I couldn't stop in time…"

Takahashi was slow to get up to his feet. As he stood up, he crushed his glasses under his right foot, breaking the lens. Takahashi glared at Tomoyo. "You know what, fuck it. Come here!"

Enraged, Takahashi quickly closed the distance between himself and Tomoyo, and punched her in the abdomen. Tomoyo was unprepared for it, and staggered back. Takahashi threw another punch at her face, meaning to catch her off guard. But Tomoyo was ready this time. Ducking her head below the punch, she nailed Takahashi in the chest with a kick. "Guh..!" Takahashi had the wind knocked out of him. Tomoyo quickly followed up with a round house kick, sending Takahashi packing. Takahashi quickly jumped back to his feet, and retaliated with a kick. Tomoyo blocked the kick with her arm, but Takahashi also got in a punch after the kick. The punch connected with Tomoyo's shoulder. Tomoyo winced, and jumped back quickly to put distance between herself and Takahashi. Tomoyo suddenly had a serious look on her face.

"The air around her has shifted." Tomoya murmured. "She's not holding back anymore it seems."

"…" Sunohara was still sitting on the floor, captivated by the fight.

Tomoya and Sunohara watched as Tomoyo and Takahashi exchanged blows again. The fight quickly erupted into a furious storm of punches and kicks. However, Tomoya noted that this time, Tomoyo was the one on the offensive. Takahashi got in a few punches in here and there, but he was mostly trying to counter Tomoyo's attacks; the lightning quick swiftness that Takahashi had shown when the fought the rugby team member seemed to have completely vanished. Takahashi blocked two successive kicks, but the third one stung him in the leg and caused him to stagger back.

"You think we should stop them?" Sunohara asked aloud.

Tomoya didn't say a word. Takahashi suddenly had a look of panic in his eyes, like a man who stepped into a river and found the water to be over his head. Tomoyo continued pushing the offensive relentlessly, and Takahashi could barely keep up. _I got to wrap this up quickly._ He thought. Tomoyo suddenly delivered a low kick into Takahashi's shins. Pain quickly overwhelmed Takahashi as he staggered forward. Seizing the opportunity, Tomoyo then threw a punch at Takahashi's face, and followed up with kick to Takahashi's chest.

! _Why didn't he dodge that one?_ Tomoyo mentally questioned herself. Indeed, Takahashi had taken the punch and the kick, rather than moving out of the way. Suddenly, Takahashi's hands shot out and grabbed Tomoyo's leg. _That's why! _Tomoyo realized. Takahashi brought a fist down like a hammer on Tomoyo's shin.

"GET OVER HERE!" With a savage roar, Takahashi's other hand shot out to pull Tomoyo to him. One last big overhead punch came from him, but it never made it to its target. Tomoyo raised her left hand to stop the punch in its tracks. Grabbing the Takahashi's hand, she vaulted herself up, and sent a flying kneel kick to Takahashi's face. The kick drilled him right in the forehead, causing Takahashi to stagger back and fall down on one knee.

"Huff…huff…" Takahashi looked up at Tomoyo, holding a hand to his forehead. "Impossible, a flying kneel kick?"

"Ngh…" Tomoyo fell down on her left knee, and held her shoulder. Fortunately for both combatants, no one seemed to have heard or seen the fight asides Sunohara and Tomoya.

"Haha…" Takahashi fell onto his back. He then made two finger pistols with his hands, and pointed them at Tomoyo. "You're pretty good." He said.

"…Who are you?" Tomoyo asked Takahashi. "I've never seen anyone fight quite like you."

"Oh, forgive my rudeness." Takahashi sat up straight. "The name is Takahashi Mirao. Sorry to become acquainted with you like this."

Tomoyo stood up and bowed her head. "I should be the one to apologize. I was the one who started this fight."

"Nah. It was my fault. I shouldn't have gotten so angry." Takahashi turned to look at the remains of his glasses. "I really hoped that something like that wouldn't have ever happened again."

The first bell went, signaling the end of the break. Classes would be resuming soon. "You should probably go back to your classrooms now." Tomoyo said calmly.

"Ah yes." Takahashi said. "My apologizes for holding you up."

Tomoyo gave Takahashi a funny look. "You seem quite different than from a moment ago. Maybe I'll get to know you better later. Farewell." Tomoyo then returned to her classroom.

"…" Sunohara and Tomoya stared at Takahashi. "What was that?" Tomoya asked.

"Hmm? Just making a new friend." Takahashi replied with smile. Reaching into his pocket, Takahashi pulled out another pair of eye glasses, and put them on. "Anyways, could you two help me back to class? My leg is messed up."

Sunohara and Tomoya held Takahashi's arms over their shoulders and carried him back to class. Along the way, Sunohara finally broke out of his silent spell. "I don't get it. You took down that rugby club third year so quickly. How did you lose to her?" Sunohara inquired.

Takahashi rolled his eyes. "Didn't I say so before? I got lucky. Were that a straight on fight against that rugby dude, I may very well have been sent to the infirmary in a match box. There is no challenge in fighting angry blind men, and when you have the element of surprise, it's literally child's play. Sakagami-san on the other hand is different. She knows how to fight. On top of that, I was quite pissed at the time, and I wasn't thinking straight."

"Another interesting thing to note would be that fact that that's the first time I've ever heard you swear, Takahashi-san." Tomoya said jokingly.

"Ugh…" Takahashi laughed. "I try not to, you know?"

"It looks like I underestimated her." Sunohara muttered.

"Her brain?" Tomoya inquired.

"Her skills!" Sunohara snapped. "Because she suddenly moved, and I haven't gotten my instincts back yet."

"Well, you've seen what she can do now." Takahashi sighed. "What are you going to do?"

"Of course, rezombie!" Sunohara said with determination. 

"It's revenge, Youhei." Takahashi sighed.

"Yea, that one, revenge." Sunohara nodded. "Accompany me after school, you two. I'll warm up until then."

"You sure have lots of free time." Tomoya remarked exasperartely. "Alright then."

And so, by the second bell, the three of them had made in back to class, just before the teacher arrived.

….


	6. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Persona Non Grata**

Just like before, Tomoya sat at his desk and gazed out the window. _I don't plan on going to a university, so I don't care about the lessons…_Tomoya thought. _Sunohara just left…so it's boring…_Tomoya just ignored the entire lesson. To him, the topic was all the same anyways. Takahashi paid more attention to the lesson than Tomoya, but he too was also obviously troubled by something. Takahashi took notes from the blackboard while sporting a frown on his face. He also shot a few glances at Sunohara's empty desk every now and then.

….

The end of morning lessons had finally arrived. Tomoya left his desk and went into the hallway as soon as the class was adjourned. Takahashi followed along. After walking to the stair way, Takahashi parted ways with Tomoya. "I'll go check on Sunohara. He might be pushing himself a bit too much." Takahashi had said.

Tomoya nodded and continued on his way. _How dare these people here spend every four hours of their morning with lessons…_He thought bitterly. _Enduring each period for many days… _Tomoya made his way to the cafeteria. The cafeteria, as usual, was crowded.

"Hmm…" Tomoya saw someone standing in the cafeteria's entrance. "That girl…" He muttered.

Nagisa stood at the cafeteria's entrance, waiting patiently for the crowd to break up.

_Well…she'll definitely end up with anpan…_ Tomoya thought. _I'll approach her._ Tomoya walked up to Nagisa.

Nagisa didn't notice Tomoya, even though he was practically standing in front of her. It was as if she hadn't expected to meet any acquaintances at all.

"Yo!" Tomoya raised a hand to catch Nagisa's attention.

"Eh…wah!" Nagisa steped back a little after Tomoya surprised her. "Ah…Okazaki-san. You're also here, aren't you?"

Tomoya nodded, scratching the back of his head. "Yeah."

"Are you going to eat bread too?" Nagisa asked.

Tomoya nodded again. "Yeah."

"Is that so…" Nagisa said thoughtfully. "Well, I think bread is a good choice. "

"How about you?" Tomoya inquired. "What are you getting?"

"Me?" Nagisa blinked.

_She's purposely behaving more cheerfully than usual._ Tomoya noted. _Even I would want to show her my good side. _

"Well…" Nagisa turned her gaze to the crowd. "I was thinking of buying something different from anpan, but…I guess it's impossible…"

"Did you do your best?" Tomoya asked.

"Yes." Nagisa gave Tomoya a confident look. "I was the first to leave my classroom." Nagisa's gaze returned to the crowd. "But the lesson ended late, so…It was already like this when I came."

"Yeah…" Tomoya scratched his chin as if there was an invisible beard there. "Unless the lesson ends fast, cutlet sandwiches are probably impossible for a girl."

Nagisa looked down. "I'm a little disappointed." She murmured.

"…I'll go there for you." Tomoya offered.

"Eh?" Nagisa shook her head quickly. "No way…that's a problem for you!"

Tomoya gave her a thumb up. "This is one of my specialties, so leave it to me." Tomoya looked at the cafeteria menu. "What bread do you like?"

"No, this is inexcusable." Nagisa refuted. "I don't want to cause you tr-."

"Is cutlet sandwich fine with you?" Tomoya interjected.

"By cutlet sandwich…" Nagisa looked back at the crowd. "Do you mean the one that is rumored to be the most popular?"

"Rumoured…" Tomoya snickered. "They're just exaggerating. Cutlet sandwich, right?"

Nagisa still looked hesitant. "…I wonder if it's alright for me to have something that good."

"Whether it's good or bad...you should just eat it if it's in your hand." Tomoya reassured her. "You want to eat one, right?"

"Yes, I guess I'll try it!" Nagisa said firmly and closed her eyes.

"All right then, I'll be going there." Tomoya said.

"Yes, please!" Nagisa responded, her eyes shimmering with determination.

Tomoya charged towards the counter and to the jumbled breads. Forcing his way through the crowd of people, Tomoya finally reached the display case. But it was too late. There weren't any cutlet sandwiches left.

…..

"Pant…pant…" Tomoya returned to Nagisa from the sea of students, completely out of breath.

Nagisa gave Tomoya a worried look. "Are you alright?"

Tomoya sighed. "Sorry…I ended up buying Takoyaki bread…"

"No, I don't mind at all." Nagisa smiled. "It looks really delicious."

"Is that so?" Tomoya looked at the pastry he held in his hand. "Well, it's fine if you say so…"

"This will be my first time eating this, so I'm looking forward to it." Nagisa nodded to herself.

"Here you go." Tomoya handed the pastry to her. "It's 150 yen."

"Yes, please wait a moment." Nagisa took out a cute-looking green purse and gave Tomoya a few coins. "150 yen, right? Thank you very much."

_Ah…_Tomoya suddenly made a face. _I just realized. I forgot to buy my own..._ He hung his head down from exhaustion. _What am I doing…_

"Is something wrong?" Nagisa asked.

"Haha…" Tomoya put his hand to his forehead. "I haven't bought my own yet."

"Eh…" Nagisa looked worried again. "If so, please eat this." She offered Tomoya the Takoyaki bread in her hand.

Tomoya raised his hand in protest. "No, it's alright. I'll just wait for the crowd to break up."

"Only anpan will be left then." Nagisa murmured. She looked at the crowd of students again. "I'll go buy one for you instead."

"Eh?" Tomoya was surprised.

"Which do you like?" Nagisa inquired.

"Well…" Tomoya relented. "Those bread that you usually eat."

"Croquette or yakisoba bread, right?" Nagisa looked at the cafeteria menu to make sure.

"Yeah." Tomoya nodded.

"Well then, I'm on my way." Nagisa walked to the crowd of students, and goes to the last row of the line.

_She doesn't worry at all, unlike before._ Tomoya remarked mentally.

…

Nagisa returned after a while, looking somewhat sad. "I'm sorry…" She apologized. "It ended up being anpan…"

Without thinking, Tomoya gave a bitter smile. "Nah, I'm fine with anpan."

Nagisa offered her bread to Tomoya. "Do you want to switch with my…"

Tomoya held a hand up in refusal. "It's alright. I'm quite tired of eating that anyway."

"You don't eat anpan than much?" Nagisa asked.

Tomoya nodded. "Yeah, I don't eat it that much. Anpan…" Tomoya eyed the bread strangely. "I guess it's been a long time…"

"Then…" Nagisa looked relieved. "Please eat it as if it's been a long time. It's delicious."

…_I'm not fond of sweets though._ Tomoya thought.

…

The two of them moved to the courtyard to eat their lunch after that. After a period of silence, Tomoya decided to break the ice.

"I'm the same too." Tomoya said suddenly. "Always late. A delinquent."

"…Eh?" Nagisa looked at Tomoya.

"I'm quite famous here." Tomoya continued. "I always stay up late at night. Though today I wasn't late by chance…But thaks to that, I'm quite sleepy."

With that Tomoya showed Nagisa a big yawn.

"Really?" Nagisa asked curiously.

"It's true." Tomoya looked up at the sky. "Even last night, I went home at around four o'clock."

"Do you also smoke cigarettes?" Nagisa inquired.

"Nope." Tomoya looked at Nagisa now. "I'm a delinquent that doesn't smoke."

"That's good then." Nagisa said cheerfully. "I can't stand cigarette smoke. My dad smokes a lot. I can't go into my dad's room. It stinks of cigarettes."

"I see…" Tomoya took another bite out of his anpan.

"Even his clothes smell like cigarettes, so they have to be washed immediately." Nagisa continued, smiling. "It's really terrible, haha…"

_I have a feeling that this is the first time I've seen her smile._ Tomoya thought. _ I wonder if she always smiles like this at her house. She has a tender family. I feel relieved knowing that. _

"What are you going to do now?" Tomoya asked.

"Yes?" About what?" Nagisa replied.

"Well…" Tomoya scratched the back of his head. "About the drama club, how it ended up…"

"It became a storage room, didn't it?" Nagisa thought about it for a bit.

"The club was disbanded." Tomoya said. "I remembered hear about it afterwards."

"Disbanded…" Nagisa murmured, looking sad again. "That means…there's no drama club in this school anymore?"

"Yeah." Tomoya nodded. "There isn't."

_Even her last hope in this school…_

Nagisa sighed. "I guess it can't be helped…It's not anyone's fault."

"That's right…it's not anyone's fault." Tomoya tried to affirm this. "It was just bad luck."

It suddenly becomes quiet. After a while…"Cutlet sandwich!" Nagisa suddenly said.

"…Too bad you couldn't get one." Tomoya replied with a small grin on his face.

"Ah, no…" Nagisa shook her head, her face turning slightly red. "Just now, umm…It's not that I'm saying it selfishly…It's just that I thought it would be nice if I could eat one someday."

…_I remember. She does that to push herself forward. Which means she's enduring the reality of what I just told her._ Tomoya recalled the day before when they ascended the slope in front of school together.

"Ah, someone is watching us." Nagisa looked up. She was looking at the window of the school building.

"Hmm…You're right." Tomoya looked up at the window as well, and saw a few students there.

"I wonder if we're a bother here." Nagisa said softly.

"No way." Tomoya assured her. "We've been here for a while now, right?"

"That's…right." Nagisa responded.

"I know." Tomoya held up his hand. "Try waving at them."

"Eh?" Nagisa looked back down at Tomoya again.

"Wave your hand at them and smile." Tomoya tried again. "If you do so, it might motivate them to talk to you, right?"

"Me? Alone?" Nagisa asked uncertainly.

"Well, I don't know what to do. They're all girls." Tomoya replied.

"I think it would be fine if you tried." Nagisa looked down at the ground in front of her.

"Wouldn't that make me a flirt?" Tomoya chuckled. "Do it alone. Come on."

Tomoya lifted up Nagisa's hand. "Well, smile, right?" Nagisa still looked hesitant.

"Yup, smile." Tomoya replied, putting on a smile of his own.

"Um, ehehe…" Nagisa waved her hand as she smiled. Then, the figures at the window disappear.

"Aha..." Nagisa's smile froze. "Cutlet sandwich!"

"…Sorry about that." Tomoya apologized, notice how tense Nagisa was.

"Ah, not at all…" Nagisa quickly responded. "Just now…it's not that I'm saying it selfishly…"

Nagisa repeated the same explanation to Tomoya. Munch, munch…

Nagisa looked at the bread in her hand. "This is surprisingly delicious. "Ehehe…"

Tomoya and Nagisa both gazed up at the sky for a while. _I wonder if, someday, there'll be someone who'll come down for her. _Tomoya thought.

"Well, if I can…" Nagisa began to speak. Tomoya's gaze shifted to her. "I want to make another drama club."

_I feel glad. The first time I met, I wondered if she would be able to speak positively. _"You can. It's simple." Tomoya said.

"Really?" Nagisa looked at Tomoya with hope.

"Yeah." Tomoya nodded. "If you have the motivation to do it."

"But, I think it would be difficult." Nagisa said in a small voice. "So if possible…will you be the club president?"

"…Katsudon." Was Tomoya's reply.

"Huh?" Nagisa looked at Tomoya in confusion.

"No, I was just thinking that I liked the katsudon in the cafeteria." Tomoya folded the anpan wrapper he held in his hand. "Anyway, you will be the club president. I'm not interested in drama, as you can see."

"…Is that so? That's too bad…" Nagisa said sullenly and looked down at the ground again.

"Even so, don't say you'll stop." Tomoya added.

"But it would be lonesome doing it alone." Nagisa pointed out.

"Would it be alright if you search for members?" Tomoya suggested.

"…." Nagisa seemed troubled, closing her eyes. Or rather, she looked like she was regretting something she couldn't back out of.

Noticing this, Tomoya couldn't help but feel like he should do something. "But you know…" He said slowly. "I won't join the club, but I will help you out by collecting members."

"Ah…" Nagisa opened her eyes and looked up at Tomoya. "Really?" She asked.

"Yeah, I promise." Tomoya smiled. "I'll help you out until you become a fine club president."

"Then…I'll try my best." Reinvigorated with determination and hope, Nagisa smiled again.

"All right." Tomoya nodded, feeling relieved. _I wonder what I'm glad about. I just promised to waste the rest of my time on something like this. At a time when everyone is striving to study for upcoming exams. _Tomoya asked himself that, but in his heart, he already knew the answer.

"I'm one of the others as well…" He mused silently.

"Did you say something?" Nagisa asked.

"Nothing…it would be good if at least half of all the students becomes a member of the drama club."

"That's too many." Nagisa responded.

"I see." Tomoya tossed away the anpan wrapper. "Well, it's better to aim high. Let's go with that in mind."

"Yes, that's too many, but I understand." Nagisa affirmed.

"Do your best then, Furukawa." Tomoya gave her a thumb up. _It's the first time I called her by her name…_He thought.

"Okay!" Nagisa held her hands to her chest, as if making a resolution.

…..

Right before lunch break ended, Nagisa and Tomoya parted ways. Tomoya returned to his classroom to find Takahashi chatting with Ryou about something. Tomoya could make out tiny snippets of their conversation.

"…That's an interesting hobby you've got." Takahashi said. "What made you take that up?"

"Haha…" Ryou smiled and held up her deck of cards. "You can call it a maiden's inspiration!"

"Hey, Takahashi-san…" Tomoya called out to him.

"Oh? Okazaki-san?" Takahashi waved at him. "I see you've returned from the Great Journey."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Tomoya said, walking over to Ryou and Takahashi.

"Don't be shy now, my friend." Takahashi said calmly. "I saw you and Furukawa eating lunch together. So, how did it go?"

"…How do you know her? And what do you mean how did it go?" Tomoya asked.

"Well…I buy bread from her family's bakery. I never knew her too well, only said hello every now and then." Takahashi explained. "And by how did it go, I mean did you two do something special?"

Ryou suddenly joined the conversation. "What do you mean?"

Tomoya suddenly raised both hands and made a pushing motion. "Just stop right there. We've just met. What do you take me for? Oh by the way, Fujibayashi, if this was the encounter you were talking about in your fortune, I'm inclined to say that "fiery impact" wasn't quite the way to describe it."

"Ah...I see." Ryou nodded, giving a small smile.

Takahashi placed a hand on Tomoya's shoulder. "I'll ask later then. There'll be another time."

"Anyways…" Tomoya brushed Takahashi's hand aside. " How's Sunohara?"

"Oh, that…" Takahashi pushed up his glasses. "He's trying to put himself through some extreme conditioning. I suggested against it since he's really pushing his body, but he refused to listen to me. I figured I'd only bother him if I stayed there, so I came back to the classroom."

"He's really serious about trying Tomoyo again?" Tomoya sighed. "He's so hopeless."

Takahashi shrugged. "Sakagami-san probably won't pull any punches either, so this'll be tough for me. I want to monitor them to make sure things don't get out of hand."

"Pull any punches?" Ryou asked with a concerned look on her face. "Is there going to be a fight or something?"

"Ah no, nothing of the sort." Takahashi quickly asserted. "We're just talking about some friendly competition, that's all."

At that point, the bell rang, signalling the start of the afternoon classes.

"Ah, I guess we should get ready for class." Takahashi quickly fixed his hair. "Well, Fujibayashi-san, I'll talk to you later, alright?"

"Ah…yes." Ryou's voice was barely audible.

Takahashi and Tomoya both returned to their desks. As Tomoya sat down, he noticed that Ryou was blushing a bit, as if she was embarrassed about something. _I'll ask Takahashi about this later._ He thought.

Tomoya looked down from the window to see a male student in uniform hopping forward while squatting. It was Sunohara. _If you would put such effort into sports or studies, you would succeed…_Tomoya thought.


	7. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Second Raid**

Home room ended, and it was now after school. Sunohara returned to class as the time for students to go home came.

"Finally, the time has come…" He muttered.

"Your hair is all messed up." Tomoya raised an eyebrow. "What kind of training did you go through?"

"I hung my legs on an iron rod and did sit-ups!" Sunohara said with pride. "Finally, I can feel my body moving."

"I see…" Tomoya snapped his fingers. "You were sleeping in a sphincter, and now you have just woken up."

"Yeah." Sunohara pounded his chest with his fist. "Come close and you'll be in danger, boy."

_What's with the emphasis on boy?_ Tomoya thought.

"I'm all set. Let's go!" Sunohara shouted.

Takahashi packed his backpack, but did not follow them. _It should also be interesting to note that Takahashi was the only person in the school who used a backpack instead of a book bag_. Tomoya thought. "Aren't you coming with us?" He asked Takahashi.

Takahashi pushed up his glasses. "Nope. Sorry, but I got basketball practice. Do me a favour and watch out for Youhei. Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

"Right then." Tomoya nodded. "We'll be going then."

Leaving Takahashi, Tomoya and Sunohara left class. "You know, I can't be there you bail you out of trouble every time." Takahashi sighed, talking to himself. "I've gotten into two fights in less than two days just because of you."

As Takahashi began leaving the room, he quickly glanced over at Ryou's desk. "She always leaves early, huh? Really wish I could talk to her more…"

With that last remark, Takahashi headed over to the gym. Once there, he changed into his gym uniform quickly, and joined the team in practice. 

…

An hour and a half later, after practice was done, Takahashi started heading towards the shoe lockers. On his way there, he saw Tomoyo leaving as well.

"Hey!" Takahashi called out to her.

Tomoyo turned around. "Oh, good afternoon." She said calmly.

"I wanted to ask. Did my friend try challenging you again?" Takahashi inquired.

Tomoyo sighed and held her hand up to her forehead. "It's just as you think. He called me out to the old school building and wanted a rematch of some sort? It was quite a hassle for me."

"And…" Takahashi urged Tomoyo to continue. "How did it go?"

"I sent him down a dust chute." Tomoyo said.

"…Quick response." Takahashi muttered, before speaking aloud again. "Are you serious? I thought dust chutes aren't wide enough to fit humans."

"Yes. I hope he learns after this. He's really annoying…" Tomoyo flicked her hair.

"…Which dust chute was this? I should go help him out." Takahashi quickly asked.

Tomoyo gave him a strange look. "You're really protective of him aren't you?"

"Forget that and tell me which chute it was!" Takahashi had a tone of distress in his voice.

"It was the second floor dust chute right outside of the old library." Tomoyo said.

"Right, thanks. I'll see you later." Takahashi hurriedly waved his hand and turned away.

"Yea. See you tomorrow." Tomoyo nodded.

_It's surprising how good mannered she can be. After what happened, I'm surprised that she'd even bother helping me._ Takahashi thought.

Running to the first floor, Takahashi tried to find the janitorial room. After searching for a while, he finally found the door, and picked the lock with a paper clip. _I ought to make myself scarce; this is borderline criminal activity…_He thought. Entering the janitorial room, Takahashi took a schematic diagram of the old school building and headed over there.

"Lets, see…" Takahashi muttered to himself. "That dust chute disposal site goes to…the basement it seems."

Following the schematic and descending several flights of stairs, he finally came across a locked metal door. He examined the door thoroughly for a while, before knocking on it. "Anyone in here?"

"…Who is it?" An uneasy voice replied. It was Sunohara's. "Whoever you are, please help me out!"

"It's me, Youhei. Gimme a sec to pick this lock…" Takahashi took out a paper clip and fumbled with the lock for a bit.

About 20 minutes later, the lock finally opened. Throwing the door open, Takahashi took a few steps back; out stepped Sunohara, completely covered in dust and rubbish.

"Cough…cough…" Sunohara wiped the dust off of his face. "Damn it! Why couldn't you get here sooner?"

"I was at basketball practice. And I only heard about what happened after Sakagami-san told me." Takahashi explained while closing and locking the metal door. "I'm quite surprised that you sustained no major injuries after falling from that high."

"Gr…I'll make her pay for this…" Sunohara gritted his teeth.

"I did say you'd get your proof in a big way, didn't I? Believe me now?" Takahashi patted Sunohara on the shoulder. "Let's get out of here for the time being. The lighting here is quite poor."

The two of them left the basement, and finally exited the old school building.

"Fresh air at last!" Sunohara inhaled deeply. "I couldn't really breathe back in there…"

"That reminds me." Takahashi stopped Sunohara. "Where did Okazaki-san go?"

"I don't know…" Sunohara frowned. "After I went down the dust chute, he called out to see if I was okay, and that was the last I heard from him."

"Ugh, whatever." Takahashi pushed up his glasses. "Let's head over to your place for now. He might show up later."

Sunohara was still in pain from the fight, and Takahashi had to support Sunohara all the way to the school entrance. Leaving the school, Takahashi and Sunohara went to the dormitory. Though the two of them waited for a while, Tomoya never showed up.

At about eight o'clock in the evening, Sunohara was lying face down on his bed unmoving, and Takahashi was sitting beside the bed, reading a magazine. Takahashi finally lost a bit of his patience. "Where is he?" He muttered impatiently.

At about 9:30 PM, Tomoya finally showed up. Upon opening the door and seeing Sunohara on the bed, Tomoya's first words were, "Hey, Sunohara. Are you still alive? Oh, good evening, Takahashi-san."

Takahashi waved his hand and threw aside the magazine he was holding. Sunohara slowly raised his head.

"I see you're still alive." Tomoya sat down near Sunohara's table.

"Normally, aren't dust chutes made so people can't get in?" Sunohara muttered bitterly.

"That's what I thought." Takahashi nodded. "I was surprised when Sakagami-san informed me otherwise."

"Didn't your joints loosen?" Tomoya asked Sunohara.

"How would that make me go in?" Sunohara sat up straight. "Anyway...Okazaki."

Sunohara's face suddenly looked serious. "What is it?" Tomoya reluctantly asked.

"She's seriously strong." Sunohara began.

"Yeah. I noticed that a while ago." Tomoya cut him off. "That's just proof of the existence of the legendary girl."

"No way!" Sunohara countered quickly.

"You still don't believe it?" Takahashi looked at Sunohara. "Look what she did to you and me. There's no doubt in my mind that she's for reals. Shouldn't it seem quite obvious to you now?"

"There are no girls stronger than a guy." Sunohara asserted.

"You're considering every girl in the country as an enemy." Tomoya pointed out.

"But…you saw it too, right?" Sunohara scratched the back of his head.

"Well, I have the same feeling about that Tomoyo." Tomoya answered.

"You see? It's somehow irrational." Sunohara lowered his voice. "Could it be that…she's actually a guy?"

Takahashi performed a face-palm in an elegant form. "You're kidding, right?"

Tomoya gave Sunohara an incredulous look. "I just became more worried about your life."

"Why?" Sunohara snapped, alternating looks between Takahashi and Tomoya.

"Try saying those words in front of her!" Takahashi said in an exasperated voice.

"…" Sunohara was imagining it. Suddenly, he had tears forming.

_He's probably flying. _Tomoya thought. Sunohara's expression became even more troubled. _He's probably being cremated._

"…Let's forget about that." Sunohara gave a nervous laugh.

"You don't like ashes?" Tomoya asked jokingly.

"I wouldn't imagine that far!" Sunohara shouted. "Only to the part where I jump out of the casket in confusion!"

"That means you came back to life." Takahashi pushed up his glasses. "Which, medically speaking, would make you a zombie."

"It's impossible in reality…" Tomoya nodded.

"Eh, I wonder about that." Sunohara gave it some thought.

"Just burn obediently." Tomoya laughed.

"Alright, fine!" Sunohara crossed his arms. "Anyway, I'll go confirm it!"

"Whether it's possible to resurrect from ashes?" Tomoya asked.

Sunohara recoiled in horror. "Who would confirm something scary like that?" Sunohara crossed his arms again. "I'm talking about whether she's a guy or not."

"Not to sound like too much of a perv…" Takahashi rested his chin on his hands. "But doesn't looking at Sakagami-san's chest tell you that she's a girl?"

Sunohara shook his head. "I won't jump to conclusions just because of that. There are plenty of ways to check, so I'll try until I know the truth.

"At this time, Sunohara was still unaware. That he was starting to walk down the path of becoming a pervert." Tomoya laughed.

"I can hear you perfectly." Sunohara said angrily.

"Pretend you didn't hear what I just said. It would be funnier that way." Tomoya replied.

"I won't do anything perverted!" Sunohara retorted. "This will work well."

"Well, be careful. I would like to hear a formal report from you." Takahashi said.

"Don't look down on me." Sunohara performed a fist pump. "I got this."

Tomoya turned towards Sunohara and showed him a thumbs up. "Good lech!"

"Yeah!" Sunohara took the phrase as if it were "Good luck!" and replied clearly.

"By the way, you guys." Takahashi spoke up. "Are either of you busy on Sunday?"

"Huh? What for?" Tomoya asked.

"I wanted to invite a few friends to go play airsoft with me. I was thinking of grabbing you two, along with Ryou-san and her sister. Oh, and also Sakagami-san if she was available." Takahashi responded with enthusiasm.

"You want Kyou and Tomoyo to go along as well?" Tomoya asked, looking at Sunohara. _I get the feeling we won't live if we go there…_Tomoya was unsure about this idea.

"Yes. They seem to be quite formidable." Takahashi pushed up his glasses again. "They are just the sort of opponents that would test my skills, along with yours and Sunohara's."

"I'm in." Sunohara immediately consented. "This'll be a good chance for me if they accept."

_Good chance for what?_ Tomoya thought. "Well, I guess I'll be free, but with regards to safety…" Tomoya looked hesitant.

"Oh don't worry. It'll be safe." Takahashi reassured. "The weaponry I intend to use has a velocity of well below 300 feet per second. They won't hurt much, I promise."

_I'm more worried about Fujibayashi than myself…_Tomoya thought.

Tomoya sighed. "I guess I'm in. Sunday…what time?"

"Sunday at 1:00 PM, at this address." Takahashi said, handing Tomoya and Sunohara paper cards. On them, the name of some airsoft recreation facility was written. "This place has areas that we can rent. I'll be fronting the bill for it."

"Right then…" Sunohara placed the card on his desk. "When do you plan to invite the others?"

"Tomorrow at school, of course. By the way, there is a special rule I want to try out." Takahashi leaned forward with a grin. "We will, of course, be playing a free for all match along with a team death match. For the free for all round, I was thinking that the winner can order the losers to do whatever he or she wants for three days. What do you think?"

"…I'd rather not think losing if that's the case, but if you bring Kyou and Tomoyo there…" Sunohara's voice trailed off.

"…No one's going to obey that rule." Tomoya shook his head.

"Ah…I guess I'll try that under different circumstances then…" Takahashi murmured, and said nothing more.

…..….

The next day…

_I guess I was dreaming… a dream of the distant past. _Tomoya thought as he woke up. Tomoya looked at the ceiling for a while, following its trail. Eventually, Tomoya crawled out of bed and changed his clothes. Looking at the clock, he could see that first period had already started. Tomoya grabbed his bag and headed to the first floor. When he reached the first floor, he noticed that his father was nowhere to be seen. Tomoya slipped out of the messy living room, and headed to the lobby. After putting on his shoes and locking the door, Tomoya left the house.

…

At the bottom of the slope at the school, Nagisa was there again, standing still.

Tomoya walked up to her. "Good morning." He greeted Nagisa.

"Yes, good morning to you too." Nagisa was smiling as she responded.

"What are you doing here again?" Tomoya asked.

"I was waiting for you, Okazaki-san."

"Waiting…?" Tomoya echoed.

"Yes." Nagisa nodded. "I thought I'd be going to school with you from now on."

"Hah?" Tomoya made a confused face at Nagisa.

"If it bothers you…well…I won't…" Nagisa said, her voice trailing off.

"Well, aren't you here pretty early? Climbing up this hill?"

"That might be true…" Nagisa said.

Tomoya looked up at the school gate. _Climbing this hill…I wonder if she still believes that climbing this hill is bravery…_

"…I guess it's not alright with you?" Nagisa said in disappointment. Holding back her hair blown by the wind, she turned her gaze back to Tomoya.

"But you'll always be late if you wait for every day." Tomoya pointed out.

"It's okay." Nagisa insisted. "Compared to not going…being late is much better."

"You have to go. Even if you're alone." Tomoya replied.

"…Yes. I'll do my best." Nagisa closed her eyes.

"…Well, I don't mind." Tomoya smiled. _If I even I can become someone's strength…that that would be a little bit of luxury to me._ Tomoya then started walking. "Let's go."

"Yes." Nagisa started walking alongside Tomoya.

"Are you sure you won't decide what to eat for today's lunch?" Tomoya inquired.

"It's alright." Nagisa said. In a softer voice, she continued. "I can do my best just by going to school with you."

"I see." Tomoya turned to face her. "In that case, let's go buy lunch together. You'll go with bread today, right?"

"Yes." Nagisa responded, with a smile on her face again.

After that, Tomoya started thinking. _I made another strange promise. _Sighing, he continued walking forward with Nagisa.

…..

"Hey, you're late!" Two voices greeted Tomoya at the simultaneously during break time.

Tomoya looked beside him to see Sunohara and Takahashi. "You're here earlier than me?" Tomoya asked Sunohara. "That can't be…This must be a dream. Let me try pinching you." Tomoya's hand extended towards Sunohara's face.

Takahashi brought down his hand in a karate chop on Tomoya's hand. "Ow!" Tomoya withdrew his hand. "That hurt, damn it!" He protested in anger.

"You're usually supposed to let other people inflict pain onto you." Takahashi explained. "In some fantasy fiction, it's the only way to break out of an illusion."

"Anyway…" Tomoya turned back to Sunohara. "Why are you here?"

"Well…" Sunohara suddenly had a serious look on his face. "I'm here to cleanse myself of dishonour."

"Eh? Which dishonour?" Tomoya asked.

"You're making sound as though I've many dishonours!" Sunohara exclaimed.

"That's improper grammar, by the way." Takahashi pushed up his glasses.

"Whatever. Of course, I'm talking about being dishonoured by losing to a woman." Sunohara replied.

"Ah, that one…" Tomoya laughed.

"Just you wait." Sunohara muttered. "Today, I'll prove that she's a man."

"So you came early for that…?" Tomoya sighed. "So, how will you prove it?"

"I'm gonna ask her casual questions, and the answers will hint to me that she's a male." Sunohara grinned.

"I love how you still call Sakagami-san a she despite the fact that you're trying to prove that she is male." Takahashi sighed, placing his hand on his forehead.

"Shut up!" Sunohara snapped. "Stop being so nit-picky!"

"Questions like?" Tomoya urged Sunohara to continue.

"Like for this time, I'm gonna say 'Hey, lend me a shaver', you know." Sunohara replied.

_To someone like him, this seems like a casual question._ Tomoya thought.

"Well…" Takahashi scratched the back of his head. "How do you plan on talking to her about that?"

"It will just come out naturally." Sunohara shrugged. "You just watch."

Sunohara confidently strutted out of the classroom. Tomoya stood up to follow him.

"Ah…well…Okazaki-kun…" Ryou called out to Tomoya.

_Oh yeah, I still need to ask Takahashi about her…_Tomoya thought. Pausing only to leave his bag behind, Tomoya went after Sunohara.

"Ah…" Ryou stared at Tomoya's back as he left the classroom.

"Leave him be, Ryou-san." Takahashi said. "He'll be back soon."

Ryou looked down at the ground. "But…"

"Is there something important you have to talk to him about?"

"Uh…no…" Ryou shook her head. "It's nothing…"

"Oh, I nearly forgot. Can you tell me which class your sister is in?" Takahashi asked.

"Oh…my sister is in Class E." Ryou looked at Takahashi. "Is something the matter?"

"Ah yes." Takahashi pushed up his glasses again. "I wanted to ask if you and she were free on Sunday."

"Eh…?" Surprised, Ryou blinked. "What for?"

"I wanted to play airsoft with you and her. Of course, Okazaki-san and Youhei will be there too. I'm also trying to recruit another person." Takahashi explained.

"Eh…" Ryou thought about it for a bit. "I think I'm free, but I'm not sure about my sister. Airsoft seems a bit dangerous though…"

"Don't worry." Takahashi gave her a thumbs up. "The weaponry I intend to use has a velocity of well below 300 feet per second. It won't hurt much, I promise."

"…Let me think about it…" Ryou said with a hint of uncertainty. "You can ask my sister if you want…"

"Right then. Thank you. I'll be right back." Takahashi left his classroom and walked to Class 3-E.

Entering the classroom, he spotted Kyou sitting at her desk reading a textbook of some sort.

"Hey, Fujibayashi-san." Takahashi walked up to Kyou. "Sorry to interrupt, but I wanted to ask you something."

"Ah." Surprised, Kyou looked up from her textbook. "Takahashi-san, right? What's the matter?"

"I wanted to ask if you have any plans for Sunday." Takahashi said.

"Ah…" Kyou thought for a second. "Nope, I'm free. Do you need something?"

"I wanted to play airsoft with you and your sister." Takahashi explained. "Would you consider going?"

"Hmm…" Kyou contemplated the offer. "Is it just us three?"

"No. Youhei and Okazaki-san are also going. I'm also trying to get a sixth person." Takahashi replied.

"I'll go then." Kyou said cheerfully. "Where is it at?"

"Uh…take this." Takahashi handed Kyou the airsoft facility's business card. "Sunday at 1:00 PM, if that's alright with you."

"Sounds good!" Kyou smiled. "I'll see you there then."

"Ah…yes. Thank you. And please talk to your sister about it as well." Takahashi bowed.

Leaving the classroom, Takahashi took in a deep breath. _The way she responded so quickly after I said Okazaki-san and Youhei was there is rather suspect. _He thought.

Returning to his classroom, Takahashi walked over to Ryou. "Well, your sister is fine with it…" He looked back at the doorway. "But her eagerness makes me uneasy…"

"Haha…she's always been outgoing." Ryou nodded.

"Oh by the way." Takahashi turned back to Ryou. "Can you read my fortune today?"

"Ah, sure…" Ryou took out her deck of cards.

Slowly, Ryou began shuffling the cards. Shuffle..Shuffle…Shu-

"Ah..." Ryou dropped her deck of cards.

Clatter…The cards fall all over the ground. "Ah…ah…umm…"

Ryou quickly gathers the cards and tried shuffling again. Ryou forms a fan with the cards and presents it to Takahashi. "P-pick three cards…"

Takahashi picked out the three cards, and handed them to Ryou.

Ryou carefully inspects the cards Takahashi picked. "…Um…Takahashi-san…"

"Yea?" Takahashi asked.

"Tomorrow, you will meet someone who will change your life..." Ryou said uncertainly.

"Are we talking in a good way, or bad way?" Takahashi inquired.

"Um…" Ryou stared hard at the cards again. "…It's a person who will remind you of a dream that you thought to be long lost…and this person will become important in fulfilling this dream…"

"…"

Takahashi gave Ryou a long stare. "Um…" Ryou's face turned slightly red. "Is something wrong…?"

"Ryou-san." Takahashi looked Ryou in the eye. "If this fortune telling turns out to be true, I'd have to be shocked. It's rather unsettling."

"Um... But you know…Sometimes fortune-telling can be inaccurate." Ryou said in a shaky voice.

"I know that…" Takahashi muttered, turning away with a skeptical look on his face. "But there's only been one dream I've had that's been unfulfilled thus far. That's why it bugs me."

"Don't be too troubled." Ryou put away her cards. "It's just fortune telling."

"Either way, thanks for the fortune telling." Takahashi turned to face her again. "Whether it comes true or not will be seen in the future."

"Ah…no problem." Ryou was blushing slightly again. Ryou promptly returned to her own desk.

"A long lost dream, huh?" Takahashi murmured, sitting down in his desk. He looked out the window. "I wonder…Ryou-san…"

Takahashi remained silent in his desk, and waited for lessons to resume.

….


	8. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Deep Dive**

Takahashi looked at Sunohara's empty desk. _There was that one, from long ago._ He thought. Takahashi was still bothered by Ryou's fortune telling. Thinking back, Takahashi knew that he indeed had a dream that was left unfulfilled.

"That dream…" Takahashi murmured to himself. "Was to be a hero…"

It was a childish dream, a dream that was born of an inspired, righteous, and naive mind. Looking at the reasons why that dream never came true, it reminded him of some of the darker things in the past. _On that same day, three years ago…_Takahashi looked back into his past. Into a memory that pained him every time he relived it.

…

"I will never forgive you!" Takahashi shouted, glaring at the student before him. "How dare you…!"

Trembling, the student bowed down. "Don't hurt me…! I didn't mean to-"

His appeal for mercy was cut short by Takahashi's punch to his head.

The student fell onto his back, and tried to scamper away. He was stopped when Takahashi stomped down on his right arm.

"Gah! That hurts! Stop!" The student pleaded in tears.

Takahashi ferociously stomped down with his foot. "How dare you…What gives you the right to hurt my friends like that?"

The student cried in pain. "I'm sorry!"

"Takahashi!" A girl's voice called out from behind him. "Stop it already!"

Takahashi turned his head to face the girl, but kept his foot on the male student's arm.

"He hurt you!" Takahashi pointed at the male student. "He has to pay-"

"Just stop it!" The girl grabbed Takahashi and pulled him off of the student. When Takahashi looked at her face, she was crying as well. "Please…don't do anything else…"

The male student quickly ran away, as soon as Takahashi's foot was off of his arm.

"…Why?" Takahashi asked. "Why did you stop me?"

The girl, whose name Takahashi could now not recall, held his right arm tightly. "I don't want to you get in trouble because of something like this…"

"But…" Takahashi looked in the direction the student had run. "What he did was-"

"It doesn't matter!" The girl pulled Takahashi away from the hallway. "It doesn't matter what he does! I care about what you do!"

"What are you talking about?" Takahashi gently pushed the girl back. "You'd forgive him after-"

"You don't get it!" The girl slapped him on the cheek. "Wake up!"

"Hey, that hurt!" Takahashi yelled. "What was that-"

"You shouldn't hurt others like that!" The girl cut him off. "It doesn't make you any better!"

"…" Takahashi stood in shocked silence, as the girl's words finally sunk in.

Sobbing, the girl tried to speak again. "I know you mean well…but hurting him doesn't make you a hero of any sort…it just makes you a bully…"

"…Why?" Takahashi protested in a strained voice. "…I don't get you…"

"…You don't have to…" The girl looked Takahashi in the eye. "Just…promise me you won't do anything stupid like that. Ever again…"

…

_At that moment, three years ago, Takahashi felt as though a hole had just be blown through his soul. He had stood there in suffocating silence as he watched the girl leave. Though he could no longer even recall that girl's name now, he would never forget how much of a shock it had been for him. He had genuinely believed that he had been doing the right thing. Those words had hit Takahashi like a punch in the chest; having someone else to say that he was no better than a bully, when he thought that he had been doing something worthy of praise, was a real shock to him. Despite his efforts, ultimately, the student body came to despise his antics. And Takahashi wasn't even aware of it until the girl had spoken out. By that time, it was already too late. _

_After that incident, Takahashi stopped with his vigilante-like displays. Knowing that he had failed so spectacularly in his goal, he transferred to Hikarizaka Private High School. A fresh start was what Takahashi had hoped for. His grades and athletics were still excellent, and he was accepted into the school. In his first year, Takahashi had joined the soccer team, and met Youhei Sunohara. The two of them, for one reason or another quickly formed a friendship during their time on the soccer team together. Takahashi recalled that both he and Sunohara were regulars, and played alongside each other a lot. Sunohara's fight with another soccer team's player resulted in Sunohara's untimely suspension and removal from the soccer team. When Takahashi saw that, he couldn't help but notice similarities between Sunohara's misfortune and his own plight from before. Though Takahashi had pleaded with the coach to give Sunohara another chance, it was all to no avail. As a result, Takahashi felt that the soccer team had been extremely unfair, and left as well; Takahashi valued his friendship with Sunohara more than the soccer team._

"…And that's how I ended up on the basketball team instead…" Takahashi concluded, nodding solemnly. "I narrate my life quite well, it seems."

The bell had rung. Classes were resuming. Sunohara and Tomoya had returned by this time.

"Hey, Takahashi-san." Tomoya noticed the glum look on Takahashi's face. "Did you eat some poisonous shrooms or something?"

"Nah, nothing like that. Just thinking about stuff." Takahashi opened his textbook.

"That reminds me." Tomoya snapped his fingers. "I have to ask. I've seen you talking to Fujibayashi a lot lately."

Takahashi looked up from his textbook, still with a depressed look on his face. "Yea? What about it?"

"So…do you have the hots for her or something?" Tomoya asked.

"Haha…" Takahashi gave a small laugh. "It isn't quite as you imagine, although I admit to having something of an interest in her."

"Uh huh…" Tomoya gave him a skeptical look. "Since class is starting, I'll ask the rest later." Tomoya then walked over to his desk.

"Right then. I see that Youhei lived this time." Takahashi glanced at Sunohara, before allowing his gaze to drop back down to the textbook on his desk.

Sunohara never looked at the blackboard during class and kept mumbling. From that, Takahashi could infer that Sunohara had obviously failed in his attempt to prove Tomoyo a guy.

….

During the break right before the fourth period… 

"Those surprisingly big breasts of hers…" Sunohara muttered. "They're definitely fake."

Sunohara, Takahashi, and Tomoya were gathered around at Tomoya's desk now.

"You were thinking about that…?" Tomoya asked.

"There's definitely something to it." Sunohara asserted.

"If so?" Tomoya put away his textbook.

"If so…" Sunohara grinned. "I'll borrow her breasts! If I say that, she'll definitely say 'Here!' without even thinking."

"….." Tomoya and Takahashi both gave Sunohara an uneasy look.

"Anyway…" Takahashi pushed up his glasses. "How will you tell her you want to borrow her breasts?"

"Well, there are plenty of ways to do that." Sunohara shrugged. "Alright, let's go." Sunohara left the room, laughing through his nose.

"I guess I'll go with him this time." Takahashi told Tomoya. "You should go walk around or something."

"Alright." Tomoya nodded.

Takahashi ran after Sunohara, and Tomoya stepped outside the classroom.

"Excuse me…Okazaki-kun…" A voice called from behind him.

"Hmm?" Tomoya stopped for a moment, before continuing to walk. "I guess it's nothing…"

Tomoya headed to the old school building, as always when he had nothing to do. Like a stalker, he continued down the hallways. Almost all of the rooms in the old school building weren't used. They'd usually become clubrooms, but they're just left as is. Without further delay, Tomoya slipped inside one of the empty classrooms, and then sat down in a suitable chair.

Tomoya looked outside the window. Beyond the curtain-less window was the beautiful sky. _I wonder if a life like this would someday change._ Tomoya thought.

Tomoya sat idly in the classroom from some time, before closing his eyes.

…

As sunlight suddenly landed right on top of Tomoya, it became unbearable, and he opened his eyes. Tomoya looked at his wrist watch. Fourth period had already started. Tomoya shrugged, and calmly left the empty classroom. Unconcerned, he went down the stairway. By the end of the corridor, Tomoya noticed a sliding door. It was the library. There was a written note saying, "closed." But, upon looking closely, Tomoya saw that the door was slightly open. Tomoya suddenly felt anxious for some reason. Tomoya opened the sliding door and entered the library. There were tall bookshelves and reading tables all lined up. There was a little wind coming in from an open window, mixing the scent of paper and dust. Over at the window was a person's shadow; wearing child-like hair ornaments, a schoolgirl who seemed like the quiet type. The colour of her badge was that of a third year's. For some reason, the girl was sitting on the floor.

…_Is she feeling sick?_ Tomoya wondered.

Moving closer, Tomoya realized that the girl was reading a book with enthusiasm.

_Is she skipping class?_ Tomoya considered that for a moment. _I thought Sunohara and I were the only people who wouldn't be found in a classroom in such a time._

Without noticing Tomoya, the girl continued to read the book in her hands. Then, she stopped on a page. It seemed like she had found something. For some reason, she took out a pair of scissors. Holding the edge of the page, the girl stopped for a few seconds.

_It looks like she's thinking about something. _Tomoya thought.

And then, without hesitation, the girl started cutting the book.

"Hey! Wait a second!" Tomoya exclaimed.

Tomoya rushed over to the girl.

"?" The girl's hand stopped as she gazed up at Tomoya's face.

For some unknown reason, the girl was also barefooted. Her indoor shoes and socks were placed on the floor. Around her were a pouch handbag and tons of books. Tomoya also noticed that she even had a cushion. The girl looked serious and calm, as if she was at home.

"That's a library book, right?" Tomoya asked.

"?" The girl started thinking of something. "Yes." She then continued cutting the book with her scissors.

Cutting of the corner of a page that had been cut off, she presented it to Tomoya.

"The tip is delicious." The girl said, as if though it were a sponge cake or roast pork.

"Do you eat this…?" Tomoya held up a hand to his forehead.

"I don't, it's not mutton." The girl responded.

"That's right." Tomoya nodded slowly.

"Do you want to eat paper?" The girl inquired.

Tomoya shook his head. "I don't want to eat paper either."

"You're not hungry?" The girl asked.

"No, I'm about to become hungry." Tomoya replied.

"I've also become hungry." The girl murmured.

_It seems I'm engaging in some conversation with her, but it feels like we're slipping away from the basics._ Tomoya thought.

"Anyway…" Tomoya looked at the scissors in the girl's hand , and tried to preach to her. "I don't think you should cut pages out of school books."

The girl continued to cut the book. Snip, snip.

"She's not even listening…"Tomoya sighed.

"?" The girl looked up at Tomoya.

"No, nothing." Tomoya looked out the window. "Do what you want."

The girl put the cut-off piece of book on the floor. While she was doing that, Tomoya shifted his attention to the books placed around her. Written on the front of the thickest book was "Astrophysics: The History and Prospects.

_Even if I read that book, I probably wouldn't get its meaning in one go…_Tomoya thought. _At least, they're books that would be inappropriate to this library, as they're all high-priced technical books. There's the prefectural library stamp on those books as well…_

"Hey…" Tomoya scratched his head. "Didn't your parents tell you to take care of everyone's belongings when you were little?"

"?" The girl was thinking of something again.

She then took out something like a box from her pouch handbag and opened the lid. "It's a bento. A very delicious boxed lunch."

_Not listening again…_Tomoya thought.

"I made it myself." The girl said. "Today's menu is egg roll in a soup, meat and potato stew with spinach, and cooked beans. I'm especially confident in this one." She pointed inside the Tupperware.

"It certainly looks good…" Tomoya looked at the contents of the bento. "But I have a feeling that eating food is prohibited in the library." _And to top that off, lessons are still taking place. _He thought.

"Won't you eat?" The girl raised the bento towards Tomoya.

"No, that's not what I mean…" Tomoya scratched his head again.

"It's not clay today…" The girl said.

Tomoya stared at the girl. "…Do you usually eat boxed lunches made of clay?"

"I don't." The girl shook her head. "I'll get indigestion. Do you want to eat clay?"

"I don't want to eat clay either..." Tomoya replied slowly.

"You're not hungry?" The girl asked again.

"Nope, but I'm about to become hungry." Tomoya gave her the same answer as before.

"I've also become hungry." The girl gave Tomoya the same response as before.

_Our conversation doesn't connect, and is in a loop…_Tomoya thought.

"Wait a minute, you see I…" Tomoya started speaking.

"Won't you eat?" The girl looked straight into Tomoya's eyes and asked again.

"Won't you eat…?" The girl's voice sounded somewhat lonely this time. The wind blowing from the window fluttered her childlike hair.

For some reason, Tomoya felt a little guilty. "I guess I'll take some."

The girl nodded as if she was relieved. "Shall we eat then?" She joined her hands together and bowed down. "Let's eat. Say 'ahh.'"

"Ahh…Geh! As if I'd do such embarrassing things when we've only just met!" Tomoya laughed.

"?" The girl looked at Tomoya in confusion, as if she didn't have any idea what embarrassing was.

Tomoya sighed.

"Well…But there is only one pair of chopsticks. What should we do…" The girl held up a single pair of chopsticks.

Tomoya took a piece of meat out with his fingers and put it inside his mouth. He chewed it for some time. It was a little cold, but it was really tasty. Tomoya was impressed. _If she made this, then I can say that she's really good at cooking._

"Oh…" The girl said something and looked at Tomoya's face again. "Is it delicious?"

"Well, kind of." Tomoya nodded.

The girl showed Tomoya a faint smile. "Do you want to eat some more?"

At that moment, the bell starting lunch break rang.

_Another 15 minutes, and this place will be full of students…_Tomoya thought. _This lunch is quite small, so I shouldn't really take anymore. On top of that, I promised Furukawa that I would have lunch with her…_

"Sorry for bothering you." Tomoya stood up to leave.

"Well…" The girl wanted to say something, but hesitated. "See you again tomorrow." Was what she said instead.

That was the only thing Tomoya heard. He raised his left hand just over his shoulder and left the library.

…


	9. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: To begin with…**

Tomoya walked away from the old school building, and headed for the third floor of the new school building. He looked around the hallway. He then spotted Nagisa, who was purposely standing close to the wall just outside her classroom so she wouldn't block the way for other students. Their eyes met for a moment, and then Nagisa walked over to Tomoya with a smile.

"Okazaki-san?" Nagisa bowed once, before stand up straight again. "Is this alright with you?"

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Tomoya asked.

Nagisa elaborated her concern. "Is it okay that you aren't attending to another person?"

"Yeah, that's fine." Tomoya nodded his head to affirm his statement. _Besides, Takahashi-san was with him, so it'll be fine if I ditch him for a while._ He thought.

"I see, I'm glad." Nagisa said with a hint of relief. "Shall we go then?"

"Yeah." Tomoya started walking towards the stairway. Nagisa followed behind him, and eventually the two of them were walking side by side.

_In any case…_Tomoya looked at Nagisa. _Walking together with a girl at school sure is embarrassing…No matter who the audience is this seems like something to be envied…_

Nagisa noticed Tomoya's gazing at her face. "Huh? Is anything the matter?"

Tomoya shook his head quickly. "It's nothing…"

"Ahoy!" A voice called out from behind them.

Tomoya and Nagisa turned around to see Takahashi's figure catching up with them.

"Um…" Tomoya quickly glanced at Nagisa before looking back at Takahashi. "This isn't what you think…"

"Hmm?" Takahashi alternated glances between Nagisa and Tomoya. "Never mind that right now. Where are you headed off to?"

"Well, we're going to the cafeteria." Nagisa answered. She then studied Takahashi face for a while before asking, "Wait…you seem familiar. Do I know you?"

Takahashi gave an exaggerated sigh. "You don't know me?" His arms flew in all directions. "I buy bread from your bakery and I've greeted you on multiple occasions. Am I too indiscrete?"

"Ah…" The light bulb in Nagisa's head finally turned on. "Takahashi-san! I'm sorry…I forgot your face. Ehehe…"

Takahashi chuckled. "Bingo! Anyhow, you'll not mind if I join you for a quick walk? There's something I need to talk to Okazaki-san about."

"Oh, sure." Nagisa smiled sweetly. "You can walk with us."

The three of them descended the stairway to the first floor, and headed for the cafeteria.

"So." Tomoya turned his attention to Takahashi. "What was it you needed to talk to me about?"

"It's about Youhei." Takahashi gave a snicker. "You'll love this. So you know he said he'd try asking Sakagami-san to take off her breasts or something like that?"

"Yeah." Tomoya nodded. "Go on."

"Well, that didn't work out nice. Youhei got quite a bit of air time as a result." Takahashi explained. "Youhei said that he needed to borrow her breasts for a class. Sakagami-san's response to it was 'To begin with, what class makes use of breasts!' before kicking him across the hallway."

"Bwahahaha!" Tomoya visualized what that would have looked like. "Really? That happened?"

Takahashi had a wide grin as well. "Not only that, but during the next break, he tried to get Sakagami-san to go into the guy's lavatory."

"Oh ho…" Tomoya also tried to imagine how that would have played out. "…Ahahahah! How did that work out?"

"S-She kicked him out the window as soon as they were inside!" Takahashi explained while laughing hysterically.

"Um…" Nagisa gave Takahashi and Tomoya a concerned look. "What are you laughing about?"

"Oh…nothing, nothing." Takahashi waved his hand in a casual manner, before turning back to Tomoya. "Oh man, that was bloody outrageous, mate!"

"Haha…" Tomoya recovered from his laughing fit. "I never thought you'd enjoy Sunohara's antics. Speaking of which, where did he go?"

"Well…." Takahashi placed his hands behind his head. "I'll defend him if he's in any serious danger, but that honestly was too funny. He's pretty resilient, so I didn't step in this time. To answer your question, he was in the classroom before I left."

"Has he given up yet?" Tomoya inquired. "I'd imagine getting kicked out a window would teach him his lesson."

"I'd say not." Takahashi sighed. "He's still determined to try. Oh, speaking of determined to try, I asked Sakagami-san to join our airsoft game. She's agreed to it. For one reason or another, her schedule happened to be free for Sunday."

"…I have a sudden premonition of someone getting used as fodder." Tomoya chuckled.

"Haha…" Takahashi instantly got what Tomoya was implying. "Only if I let him do something stupid."

…

When the trio reached the cafeteria, the crowd in the front of the bread stall seemed so large that even getting close to the counter looked difficult.

"It looks more crowded today than usual…" Nagisa murmured.

Tomoya scanned the crowd for an opening. "You're right."

"Hmm…" Takahashi crossed his arms and joined Tomoya in looking for an opening.

"Wah…" Nagisa was suddenly pushed from behind.

A male student ran past Nagisa and dived into the crowd of students. "Uh…Uwaaaaah…..!" Forced along by the current, the male student vanished like seaweed.

"…" Nagisa stared at the place where the male student once stood as though a traffic accident had just taken place. "Let's head back." Nagisa shut her eyes tightly.

"I'm telling you it's alright." Tomoya said. "I'm the one who's buying. So just tell me what you want to eat."

"Anpan will do." Nagisa said softly.

"Geez…" Tomoya shook his head. "Didn't we come this early to buy something special? Pick something that you can only buy now."

"Then…" Nagisa opened her eyes again. "It is alright if I choose something expensive?"

"Sure." Tomoya nodded. "Go ahead."

"Well then…" Nagisa looked up at Tomoya with determination in her eyes. She raised both her hands. "Please get me a two-colored bread!"

"What's that?" Tomoya asked in confusion.

"It's a type of bread with cream and chocolate inside." Nagisa explained to Tomoya. "It's really mysterious bread!" She emphasized the mysterious part.

"Hmm…" Takahashi tapped his forehead. "I wasn't aware that such a bread existed."

"I wasn't either…" Tomoya scratched his head.

_I'm definitely not interested in sweet breads that has cream or chocolate…_Tomoya thought

"I'm off then." Tomoya headed towards the crowd. "Pray for my life." He gave Nagisa a strong thumbs up.

Nagisa clasped both her hands together to her chest in prayer. "May you be under the divine protection of the Gods."

"Haha, that's something worthy of a theatrical play." Takahashi complimented Nagisa before he ran off to catch up with Tomoya.

Seeing a tiny gap, Tomoya sliced his way into the crowd. Takahashi just simply gave anyone in his way a light push to force them away. Halfway through, Tomoya saw the back of a familiar head.

_Wait…Sunohara? When did he…?_ Tomoya thought.

Takahashi took note of Sunohara's presence as well. "When did he get here?" He whispered to Tomoya.

Tomoya grabbed Sunohara by the shoulder. "Hey."

"What, man?" Sunohara whipped around with an angry look on his face. "…Huh? Okazaki and Takahashi?"

"Wait. Weren't you sleeping inside the classroom a moment ago?" Takahashi asked in complete disbelief.

"Hmm…" Sunohara gave an enigmatic grin. "Aren't you being too easy going?"

"I pushed you around a bit, but you still didn't wake up." Takahashi pointed out.

"You got it wrong…" Sunohara's grin remained etched on his face. "I woke up because it hurt. Thank you, my friend from New York."

"I was never in New York, but whatever…" Takahashi pushed up his glasses.

"I came down early because of that. Don't you know?" Sunohara pointed behind him.

Where Sunohara was pointed was a billboard hanging from the ceiling. Written there was "New Product: Ryuuta Sandwich – 150 yen".

"Oh, I see…" Takahashi nodded slowly.

"So, I'll need to you two help me out a bit. Everyone's fighting for this new product, so let's hurry." Sunohara turned back towards the bread stand.

_It would be great if we could do that, but he'll get in the way later on…_Tomoya thought._ Because I have a girl waiting. He's the only person I don't want to let know…_

"Sure." Takahashi gave an affirmative response right away.

Tomoya on the other hand, quickly swung his leg in an arc and tripped Sunohara.

"Woah?" Sunohara exclaimed as he lost his balance. His shoulder suddenly fell.

"Ah…" Tomoya straightened his tie. "Sorry."

"Uh…UWAAAAAAAAAAA!" Force along by the sea of people, Sunohara disappeared like seaweed.

"Hey…" Takahashi tapped Tomoya on the shoulder. "That was going too far…"

"…He'll get in the way later. He's the last person I want to-" Tomoya started to explain before cutting himself off.

"Oh, you mean Furukawa-san…" Takahashi murmured. "I understand."

"Well…target eliminated." Tomoya continued pushing through the crowd.

As time went by, the congestion increased and eventually degenerated into something that seemed no different from a riot. Tomoya charged ahead blindly, while Takahashi continued pressing forth slowly with his pushing method.

And then…

"I bought it…" Tomoya sighed in relief. In his hands were the two-coloured bread and something else for himself.

"That took a lot longer than expected…" Takahashi had already opened a small chocolate cornet he had bought and was munching away at it.

"Sorry about the wait…" Tomoya approached Nagisa, holding up the two-coloured bread in his right hand.

"Thank you. Are you alright?" Nagisa took the bread from Tomoya's hand.

"Yeah, more or less." Tomoya dusted off his uniform.

"Buying there is quite scary." Nagisa looked back towards the surging sea of students.

"You're right…" Tomoya glanced back as well.

"Well, out in the field, you got to fight for your meals." Takahashi took another bite out of his chocolate cornet.

"…Was that intended to sound clever?" Tomoya asked rhetorically as the three of them left the cafeteria.

….

"By the way…" Tomoya started speaking. "You never told me what was going on with Fujibayashi."

"Oh…that…" Takahashi said distantly. "Well…like I said, she's…really cute, you know?"

"Uh-huh…" Tomoya gave Takahashi a skeptical look just like before.

"What's with the look? Aren't you the same?" Takahashi motioned towards Nagisa, who was walking in front of them.

"I'm not interested in her." Tomoya denied. "We just happen to know each other."

"Uh-huh…" Takahashi imitated Tomoya.

Once the three of them reached the stairwell, Takahashi bid Nagisa and Tomoya farewell. "Sorry, but I'm going to find Ryou-san. I'll chat with you later."

"Yeah, yeah." Tomoya nodded. "See you around."

"Bye, Takahashi-san." Nagisa waved to Takahashi as he headed upstairs.

Then, Nagisa and Tomoya went to the courtyard and ate their lunch.

_It's a peaceful time…_Tomoya thought. _Truly reminiscent of the ever-repeating daily routine._

Tomoya glanced next to him. Nagisa was single-mindedly munching on her bread. Tomoya found it quite amusing to watch Nagisa eat so eagerly.

_I think she's always been like that. _Tomoya continued observing Nagisa. _That's why nobody wants to be with her. But that's different from why nobody wants to be with me._

Nagisa continued to eat her bread, oblivious to Tomoya's stare. And finally…

"Thanks for the food." Nagisa said happily. Folding the wrapper, she put it in her pocket. "It was really delicious."

Even then, Tomoya continued looking at her face.

"Huh…?" Nagisa suddenly had a confused look on her face. Her eyes met Tomoya's.

"Um…" Nagisa quickly looked down.

"Hmm? What's up?" Tomoya asked.

"Could it be that there's some food left on my mouth?" Nagisa asked in return.

"No." Tomoya laughed. "There's nothing on your mouth."

"What are you staring at then…?" Nagisa's voice became soft.

"Hey, Furukawa…" Tomoya began.

"Yes?" Nagisa responded.

"I think you're cute." Tomoya whispered.

"Huh…?" Nagisa's face suddenly reddened.

"That's your natural talent." Tomoya continued. "If everyone discovers it, they'll like you too. You'll make lots of friends."

"If you try to cheer me up when I'm not feeling down, I'll just get depressed…" Nagisa's voice remained soft and barely audible.

"No…" Tomoya smiled. "It's not like I'm trying to cheer you up. It's what I'm thinking. My impression. You see, we don't really know each other yet since we've just met. So you should take this seriously."

"Yeah…"

"I said to take this seriously!" Tomoya reiterated. He held Nagisa's shoulder as he said that.

"T-that's weird!" Nagisa protested. "Even forcing me…"

"…Yeah." Tomoya released his grip. He realized that he was really acting out of character.

Tomoya sat up straight. And then, as he looked ahead, he noticed a girl standing in front of the window on the third floor of the school building, looking at him and Nagisa.

"Look over there." Tomoya motioned to Nagisa. "You should wave your hand and smile at her."

"I won't do that." Nagisa murmured. "Please do it yourself."

"Like I said, it's not normal for a guy like me to do something like that."

"Not really." Nagisa looked at Tomoya. "Because you're tall and cool…that's why many girls approach you…Somehow, I feel pressured by that…"

"I see." Tomoya nodded. "You're right. If that happens, you won't hang around me anymore. That's it. I give up."

"Please don't take that seriously." Nagisa had a stern expression on her face now.

"…Hey now!" Tomoya exclaimed. "Why you…"

Tomoya gently poked her forehead.

"Haa…" Nagisa smiled. Or so Tomoya thought.

_No, she didn't actually smile._ Tomoya pulled his hand back. _Just when I thought she would finally smile…_

Tomoya glanced at where Nagisa was looking. And just ahead is school building's third floor window. The girl had disappeared.

"Hey, Furukawa…" Tomoya turned to face Nagisa again.

"Yes?" Nagisa responded.

"Let's head over to the clubroom." Tomoya suggested.

The clubroom Tomoya was referring to was the former Drama Clubroom, which had presently become a storage room for the other clubs.

"Alright." Nagisa stood up, and brushed off the back of her skirt.

…

Meanwhile, in Tomoya's homeroom…

"So, have you decided yet?" Takahashi asked Ryou.

"…Well…I guess I'll try." Ryou responded. "It would be the first time I've tried something like airsoft."

"Do you ever do any sort of sports?" Takahashi inquired. "Being sort of athletic gives you an edge in something like this."

"…I've tried volleyball before…" Ryou said timidly. "…And tennis…?"

"Um…Not quite what I had in mind.' Takahashi replied. "No matter. It's something."

"You were on the basketball team since your freshman year, right?" Ryou asked.

"Uh-huh." Takahashi nodded. "That was sort of sport was more what I was thinking."

"Oh, I see." Ryou showed a small smile. "My sister's much better at that sort of thing than me."

"That was the reason I wanted her to consider tagging along. She seems quite formidable." Takahashi looked out the window.

"Do you do airsoft a lot?" Ryou questioned as she put away her bento.

"Well, not too much…" Takahashi looked back at Ryou. "I've done it enough to have the experience one would need to succeed."

"Ah, so that means you're really good at it?"

Takahashi spread out his arms wide and closed his eyes like he was acting in a play. "Well, I'd like to think that, but I'd prefer to let others be the judge." He crossed his arms and opened his eyes again shortly after. "That reminds me. Ryou-san, you've been doing fortune telling for a lot of people, right?"

"Ah, yes." Ryou nodded.

"How's the feedback on that been?" Takahashi teased.

"Ah…Well…" Ryou's voice trailed off as she tried to formulate a response.

"Well? Go on." Takahashi smiled.

"…I think you've seen Okazaki-kun's response to it…and that enough, right?" Ryou spoke in a strangled voice.

"Hey now." Takahashi placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't let that get you down."

"Ehh?" Ryou flinched, making Takahashi quickly pull his hand away.

"Sorry…" Takahashi held both his hands up like an outlaw who had a gun aimed at him.

"No…It's alright." Ryou's face took a scarlet hue in response, and she looked away.

The two of them remained silent for a while, before Takahashi tried breaking the ice again.

"Seriously though. Don't let something like that discourage you."

"I know…" Ryou turned to face Takahashi again. "I'll keep on going."

"Oh wait, that reminds me." Takahashi snapped his fingers. "Have you ever tried fortune telling with Tarot Cards?"

"Well, I'd like to try…" Ryou laughed softly. "But I don't have any Tarot Cards to use."

"Hmm…" Takahashi smiled. "We have to remedy that now, don't we?"

"Huh?" Ryou gave Takahashi a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"You'll see eventually." Takahashi's smile widened. "All shall unfold in due time."

"Ah, okay…" Ryou nodded, her face showing a bit of uncertainty.

"Until then, continue fortune telling. As I always like to say, it's best to cherish every hobby you've got, no matter how trivial it is." Takahashi pushed up his glasses.

"Hey, you!" A loud piercing voice emanated from classroom's door way.

"!" Takahashi quickly reached into uniform pocket.

A loud 'bang' sound resonated through the classroom. In the center of the classroom, halfway between Ryou's desk and the door way, laid an English Japanese dictionary. In Takahashi's hand, there was something that looked like a silver handgun. It was aimed at the doorway. Only Ryou saw it, before Takahashi quickly spun the handgun around and slipped it back into his pocket. All the students present in the classroom were staring at the source of the noise.

"W-what?" Ryou looked at the doorway. Standing there was Kyou.

"You have got some nerve, picking on my little sister!" She yelled angrily as she stomped over to Takahashi and grabbed him by the collar. "I'll pound you into the wall!"

"Hey hey hey!" Takahashi grabbed Kyou's wrists in response. "Relax would you? We've hardly met and you're already trying to kill me?"

"Sis, it's alright." Ryou waved her hands frantically. "We-we're just talking."

"Oh…In that case…" Kyou released her grip on Takahashi's collar, and Takahashi released Kyou's wrists. "Were you having Ryou tell your fortune or something?"

"Uh…" Takahashi fixed his tie and straightened his collar. "Actually, I was saying to her that she should continue with fortune telling. As I like to say, you should cherish all your hobbies no matter how trivial they seem."

"Ah…I see, I see." Kyou patted Takahashi on the shoulder. "You ought to do your best too!"

Kyou then turned away. "Well, good luck! Ha-haha!" She marched gracefully out of the classroom. By this time, all the students had returned to doing their own thing. Kyou's cheerful voice once again left Takahashi feeling a bit uneasy.

"Um…Takahashi-san?" Ryou asked in a scared voice.

"Hmm? Yes?" Takahashi turned around to face Ryou.

"T…That thing you took out of your pocket…was that a gun?" Ryou was trembling.

"Oh…that…" Takahashi winked. "It's not real. It's modelled after an IMI Desert Eagle. Its gas powered and it fires pellets. I keep it around me for self-defence, but it makes quite a big sound when discharged. Don't worry about it."

"Oh, okay…" Ryou exhaled in relief.

"But, uh…" Takahashi lowered his voice and moved his head closer to Ryou. "If possible, could we keep this a secret between you and me? This may damage my academic standing if this were to get out to the public."

"Oh, sure…" Ryou nodded.

Takahashi glanced back at the dictionary still lying on the classroom floor. _If that thing was strong enough to deflect a metal pellet going at 425 feet per second, there's no telling what sort of damage that could have done if I didn't react quick enough…_Takahashi shuddered at the thought what could have happened if the dictionary had actually struck him.

"Alright…" Takahashi looked at the clock. "For the last 20 or so minutes, I'll go read my textbook for the next class. I'll chat with you later, okay?"

"Sure." Ryou responded with a smile. "See you then."

"Yeah." Takahashi turned and walked back to his desk, taking out his textbook. Sitting quietly, he waited for Sunohara and Tomoya to return to class.

…


	10. Fragment 1

**Fragment 1: The Drama Club**

"Hey, Okazaki-san..."

"Hmm…?" Tomoya looked up from the magazine he was reading. "What's up?"

Takahashi sat down beside him, and cleared his throat. Right now, they were in Sunohara's room. It was 10:30 PM, and Sunohara was sound asleep as he lay on his bed unmoving. It was the same day that Sunohara had challenged Tomoyo to a second fight, and was subsequently sent down a dust chute [1].

"I wanted to ask you. What took you so long to get here that day?" Takahashi asked. "You remember that time when the three of us were in the cafeteria [2]?"

"Oh…" Tomoya sighed, and tossed the magazine in his hands asides. "I guess I've got some explaining to do."

"Well, please do." Takahashi smiled. "I'd like to hear about what happened."

"Well…" Tomoya scratched his head. "Where do I begin…? I guess I start with what happened right after…"

…

Tomoya had quickly left the Takahashi and Sunohara. He ran up the stairs and headed up to the third floor of the old school building. _I ended up coming here eventually…_Tomoya thought. Nagisa was standing in the hallway just up ahead.

"Sigh…What is she doing…?" Tomoya watched Nagisa fidgeting in front of a classroom entrance for a while.

_It's like she's repeating what she did this morning._ Tomoya did a quick reminiscence of how Nagisa was standing still at the bottom of the hill outside the school gates. _She's probably waiting again for something to happen. There's a room in front of her. Maybe it's because the club members are busy practicing something. She's probably thinking of what she can anticipate when she opens the door. _

"….." Nagisa stood unmoving in front of the door, with a hesitant expression on her face.

_I wonder if she has the same negative image in her mind again._

Tomoya saw Nagisa move her lips a little, though he couldn't hear her voice.

_Hamburger…?_ Tomoya mouthed the words himself. _Seems like I got it right based on how her lips moved. _

With that, Nagisa finally worked up the courage to step forward. She put her hand on the door handle and slid it to its side. Clatter.

"Umm…!" Nagisa began. But she didn't continue after that. She kept her gaze straight inside the room.

Tomoya cursed under his breath, and rushed to where Nagisa was standing. From her back, Tomoya looked inside the classroom. Inside, there was a pile of cardboard boxes. A club room should have been there, but instead it was a storage room.

_In the midst of the silly gossiping that I had heard, there was on topic that did come up. _Tomoya recalled. _That the drama club had been disbanded…_

Tomoya put his hand on Nagisa's head.

"Ah…So you came as well?" Nagisa murmured.

"Yeah…" Tomoya nodded. "Sorry, I was watching you."

"What's with the hand on my head…?" Nagisa asked in a soft voice, almost like a person whose spirit had left her body.

"Well, nothing really." Tomoya said.

"Is that so…?" Nagisa's still had a crestfallen look on her face.

"Yeah…" Tomoya replied.

Nagisa stayed silent for a while, and with Tomoya's hand on her head, they both stood still. _If you look at us, you'd think we're weird._ Tomoya thought.

"I'm Tomoya Okazaki of Class D." Tomoya introduced himself. "You are?"

"…I'm Nagisa Furukawa of Class B…" Nagisa responded.

"Nice to meet you." Tomoya decided to put on a smile.

"Nice to meet you too." Nagisa nodded. "Well…I wonder where the drama club is…"

…..

The sun was already setting now, covering the school in an orange hue. Nagisa and Tomoya had already left the old school building, and were now standing outside the school gates.

"Are you going home alone?" Tomoya inquired.

"Yes, of course." Nagisa responded.

"Eating hamburgers will cheer you up." Tomoya smiled.

"Eh?" Nagisa's eyes widen. "You're amazing. I was thinking of eating hamburgers for my dinner."

"I see…" Tomoya gazed back at the school.

_The school where she couldn't find a single fun thing to do._ Tomoya lamented. _In this place, she's…as an incentive to working hard, she made herself look forward to a good meal to keep her moving forward. _

The two of them walked down the hill, passing by the cherry blossom trees. "Don't be late tomorrow." Tomoya said.

"I'll do my best." Nagisa smiled.

"Yeah, later." Tomoya turned away.

"Okay. Goodbye, Okazaki-san." Waving her hand, Nagisa walked away from Tomoya.

Tomoya went home just before the sun set. As always, he grabbed a change of clothes and left the house. At this point, Tomoya decided to head over to Sunohara's room.

…

"Oh…?" Takahashi pushed up his glasses. "So that's how it went."

"Yea, just like that." Tomoya concluded. "I just met someone new, and that's about it."

"Just met someone new?" Takahashi chuckled. "I don't know about that, my friend. It seemed like you two were getting along quite well."

"I told you before." Tomoya waved a hand to dismiss Takahashi's notion. "We've just met. What do you take me for?"

"Heh…true enough…" Takahashi took out a small note book and pen, and started scribbling down something.

"What's that you got there?" Tomoya leaned over slightly to see what Takahashi was writing.

Takahashi's hand moved at an alarming rapid pace, almost as if it were an oscillating spring. In a few seconds, Tomoya could make out the words: "Omnia videmur posse facere et nil videri verum potest."

Tomoya stared at the words. He couldn't understand a single one of them. To him, it was like staring at a mathematical proof for Fermat's theorem.

"…What in the world did you just write?" Tomoya frowned at the notebook in Takahashi's hand.

"Aha!" Takahashi gave a 100 watt smile. "It is Latin, my friend. Exciting, isn't it?"

"…I fail to see what's so great about it." Tomoya muttered. "It's a dead language."

"Ah, but what it says is another matter!" Takahashi twirled the pen in his hand. "This translates to: 'We seem able to do everything and nothing can be regarded as true.'".

"And…?" Tomoya gave Takahashi a look that one would give to a five year old who was bragging about how he discovered that magnets can attract and repel. "What's the point?"

"Ah, my friend." Takahashi gave Tomoya a disappointed look. "You fail to see the truth behind it! To say that nothing is true is to realize that the foundations of society are fragile, and that we have to be the ones who lead ourselves forward."

"…Uh-huh…" Tomoya shrugged, obviously disinterested. "And knowing this will help me how?"

"Bah!" Takahashi put his pen and notebook away. He gave Tomoya a half-exasperated, half-patronizing look. "It's philosophy, Okazaki-san! Following such an idea will allow you have new worldview, and develop a code of conduct."

"Well, anyways…" Tomoya looked at the clock. "We still got some time. Want to hear another story?"

"What's this one about?" Takahashi pushed up his glasses. "Did you and Furukawa-san get more intimate?"

"Will you stop with that talk?" It was Tomoya's turn to shoot an annoyed look at Takahashi.

"I merely joke." Takahashi chuckled. "Please continue."

"Alright…" Tomoya cleared his throat. "I'll explain why I was late today as well. So it just so happened that..."

….

After Sunohara's fight with Tomoyo, Tomoya, found himself in front of the drama clubroom. He turned around, hearing faint footsteps. Nagisa was running towards him.

"Okazaki-san!" Nagisa looked happy as she called out to Tomoya. "I'm surprised. I didn't think that you'd be here."

"Yeah." Tomoya nodded. "Sorry it's just me."

"No, it's not that I was expecting someone else." Nagisa explained. "I'm glad it was you. I didn't think someone I knew would be waiting…I was so happy that I ran all the way here."

_So I'm a special guy in her eyes, despite having no courtesy or manners. _Tomoya felt somewhat cheered by that thought.

"Um, should we do something now?" Nagisa asked.

"Let's see…" Tomoya mentally counted off of his list of things to do. Then, he opened the door. Cardboard boxes and equipment was scattered all over the floor. "First of all, it's time for some cleaning…"

"That's true." Nagisa nodded. "We have to remove most of these things first…"

"Right." Tomoya took off the outer top part of his uniform so that it wouldn't obstruct his movement.

Nagisa and Tomoya carried most of the equipment and unimportant looking boxes to an empty classroom, picked up cleaning tools and then began cleaning the room. They used the duster, sweeped with the broom, and then mopped the floor. By the time the sun began to set, the clubroom finally began to look useable.

"This should, do, right?" Tomoya looked around the room with a satisfied look.

"Yes!" Nagisa, with her eyes brightening up like a star, also surveyed the room with a cheerful expression. "We did it…our clubroom."

"Our?" Tomoya echoed. "I'm not a club member though."

"Eh…?" Nagisa's expression completely changed into one that was about to cry.

_But I have to make this clear…_

"I'm just going to help you find members." Tomoya stated firmly.

"Drama is fun, though…" Nagisa tried desperately to convince Tomoya.

"I'm not interested in drama." Tomoya's voice remained firm, although not harsh.

"Well…are you really…not interested?" Nagisa asked.

"That's right. Sorry." Tomoya replied.

"….." Nagisa's forlorn expression made Tomoya feel a bit guilty.

…_She looks so sad…_Tomoya thought.

"Well, Furukawa." Tomoya began.

"…Yes?" Nagisa responded, still with that sad look on her face.

"People will come. Just leave it to me." Tomoya assured.

"No, that's not the problem…" Nagisa shook her head gently. "I really wanted you to be here, Okazaki-san. Regardless of how many people come."

"Well…" Tomoya suddenly had a strange fuzzy feeling in his chest. "I'm happy to hear that, but…Anyway, I'll give it some thought."

"Yes, please do." Nagisa murmured, with a hint of optimism in her voice.

…..

Tomoya and Nagisa left the clubroom, and walked down the hill outside of the school gates just like the other students who were going home. Tomoya didn't really want to go home though.

After walking a considerable distance from the school…

"I'm hungry." Tomoya said.

"Yes, I'm quite hungry too." Nagisa concurred.

"You want to eat?" Tomoya suggested.

"Sure." Nagisa gave an affirmative response.

"Shall we eat somewhere?" Tomoya scratched his head, thinking of possible destinations.

"You mean, eat outside?" Nagisa asked.

"Right." Tomoya replied.

"But I have to go home and prepare dinner…" Nagisa explained.

"It's alright." Tomoya said.

"I can't leave the cooking to my mother thought." Nagisa said that with a carefree smile.

_Just looking at that expression, I can see that she has a gentle family._ Tomoya thought.

"Don't you eat at your house?" Nagisa asked with a sincere look.

"There wouldn't be anything there even if I go home." Tomoya said bitterly.

"….." Nagisa fell silent for a while.

"Um…well…" Nagisa gazed down at the pavement.

"My dad's okay. But my mom isn't around anymore." Tomoya explained.

"Well…don't you eat dinner with your father?" Nagisa asked.

"Not really." Tomoya grimaced, as though a flood of bad memories had just come back to inundate him. "We've been on bad terms for a long time now."

_I don't think…I've shared this with anyone else before._ Tomoya thought. _And I don't know why I'm sharing it with Furukawa…_

"Did something happen?" Concerned, Nagisa gave Tomoya a worried look.

"Yeah." Tomoya looked up at the sky. "A lot of things."

The sky seemed thoroughly empty, as if to remind Tomoya that they were things that nobody could ever fix.

Nagisa noticed that their conversation became somewhat unpleasant and suddenly sank into silence.

….

"Hey there, rewind a sec." Takahshi held up one hand, and covered his eyes with the other. At that very moment, Takahshi looked like someone who had just been traumatized by some unspeakable display.

"Yea?" Tomoya asked. "Something the matter?"

"What happened to your mother?" Takahashi asked.

Tomoya hesitated momentarily, before deciding to explain it to Takahashi.

"I'll give you an abridged version." Tomoya's expression suddenly twisted up. "My mother died in a traffic accident when I was little. Because of that, I guess, my dad has been drinking and gambling, and hasn't been working much."

"Hmm…I see…" Takahashi pulled out his notebook and pen again, and jotted down something else.

"…What is it this time?" Tomoya sighed.

"Take a look, my friend." Takahashi positioned the notebook in front of Tomoya.

"…You really got to drop that 'my friend' line…" Tomoya looked at the notebook.

On a new page, the words read "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."

"…Can you not write Japanese?" Tomoya asked, giving Takahashi an incredulous look. "Or is the average high school student supposed to know five languages asides Japanese?"

"Ah, once again, Okazaki-san, this phrase has a similar deep meaning." Takahashi explained eagerly. "This phrase translates to 'Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.'"

Tomoya pushed aside the notebook. "Your point is?"

"Oh, it pains me to see this…" Takahashi held a hand to his forehead. "It means that you should be considerate, because everyone you meet, whether you know it or not, is fighting a battle. And not a physical battle; no, a much harder one. Everyone has their own set of problems that must be dealt with, but not many people see that. All they see is what you do to cope with it. Never once do they judge you fairly, am I right?"

"…And you're saying that my father had his set of problems too?" Tomoya gritted his teeth.

"If I know a man's mind as well as I think, he'd be having so many problems that it would even be impossible for me to conceive." Takahashi asserted.

"…What do you know about it, huh?" Tomoya glared at Takahashi. "What makes you think you know anything about it?"

"Hm…" Takahashi pushed up his glasses. "I can't say I know for sure exactly how you feel. But I assure you, that everyone has a history. And often, that history is neglected."

"…Can I continue with the story now?" Tomoya asked.

"Yes, please do." Takahashi put away his notebook and pen as well.

…...

"We're just one of those motherless families." Tomoya told Nagisa. "If two males got along that well, it would look weird, wouldn't it?"

"You think so…?" Nagisa murmured. "But, somehow…" Nagisa put both her hand on her chest. "You have to talk with him, even if it means arguing."

"I guess." Tomoya gave a half-hearted nod.

Tomoya sighed. He questioned why he told Nagisa about his family problems. He reasoned that she would be able to understand his situation no more than he could understand an English war poem.

"Well, if it isn't a problem…May I invite you to dinner?" Nagisa asked.

For some reason, Tomoya felt relieved. _Maybe I was waiting for those words to come._

"Is that okay?"

"I don't mind." Nagisa smiled sweetly. "If I tell my parents you're a friend, I'm sure they'll be fine with it."

"I see." Tomoya replied.

"If you go straight from here to the park, there's a bakery upfront there." Nagisa pointed to her right.

"Okay." Tomoya committed the directions to memory.

"That bakery is my house." Nagisa continued. "Well then, please wait there. I'll come shortly."

"See you then." Tomoya said.

"Okay." Nagisa began to turn away.

Tomoya suddenly seized Nagisa's shoulder as she turned away. "Wait, wait, why are we saying farewell like this?"

"Eh? That's not okay?" Nagisa asked, completely confused.

"It's not that…" Tomoya shook his head. "If you leave now, wouldn't it be suspicious if I introduced myself as your friend?"

"It's alright; we're wearing the same school uniform after all." Nagisa pointed out.

"That's not the problem!" Tomoya argued. "Even if they agree, wouldn't it be weird if I sit there and enjoy myself watching TV with your folks?"

"That's why I said I'm confident about that." Nagisa assured Tomoya. "Please don't worry about my home. It's not weird."

"That's amazing then…" Tomoya's voice trailed off.

_I wonder what kind of family it is. I can't even imagine…_Tomoya thought.

Tomoya looked up at the sky again. "Oh damn…" When Tomoya returned his gaze to her, Nagisa was already far away, waving her hand.

"If you go to the park, you can't miss it!" Nagisa said as she left.

Tomoya also left, alone, and started walking to Nagisa's house.

….

"That's a rather big leap forward." Takahashi chuckled. "So you had dinner at Furukawa-san's place?"

"Yea…" Tomoya nodded. "And that just about sums it up for me."

"Your reasons for being late to our little meeting are understandable." Takahashi packed his textbook into his backpack. "And so. How was it?"

"How was what?" Tomoya asked.

"Having dinner at Furukawa's, of course!" Takahashi smiled. "Must have been a pretty good experience?"

"Er…" Tomoya crossed his arms. "Her father is a bit on the strange side…But what surprised me most was how close-knit they were. It's strange, because I've never knew a family like that could exist."

"Oh, you mean Akio-san?" Takahashi chuckled. "The guy's got the heart of a kid, that's for sure."

"You know him well?" Tomoya inquired.

"Well, I only ever buy bread from him, but I always see him playing baseball with kids." Takahashi explained. "I don't see Furukawa-san's mother much either."

"Do you talk to Furukawa a lot then?" Tomoya asked while checking the time. It was about 11:00 PM now.

"Nagisa?" Takahashi shrugged. "I say hi every now and then when I buy bread from the bakery, but I almost never see her in the hallways. You've already got a good jump start compared to me."

"…Didn't I say to drop that talk?" Tomoya sighed. "Enough with the bad jokes."

"Well, in any event." Takahashi took his backpack. "It's getting late, so I'll be heading off then."

"Right then." Tomoya nodded. "See you at school."

"Likewise, my friend." Takahashi bowed before he left Sunohara's room.

Tomoya decided that it would be best if he left Sunohara's place as well, but he decided to wait a few more minutes before leaving.

….

[1] Details of this explained in Chapter 8.

[2] Details of this explained in the last bits of Chapter 4.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Let's Look for Friends**

Back at the drama clubroom…

"How much time do we have left?" Tomoya looked around the room.

"We have…" Nagisa checked the clock in the clubroom. "Twenty minutes until the first bell."

"All right then." Tomoya pulled out a chair from a nearby desk. "Let's use that time to make a notice that the drama club is looking for some members."

"Okay!" Nagisa gave an energetic nod.

Tomoya and Nagisa listed, one by one, the things both of them would have to do on an A4 sized paper with a sharpie.

"First…" Tomoya tapped the sharpie at the page. "Let's decide on the day we will explain our goal."

"Let's choose a date now." Nagisa suggested.

"Hmm…." Tomoya considered a suitable date. "How about two weeks from now? We won't be able to gather any members if the date is too soon."

"Yes, we'll start our work in May then." Nagisa concurred.

_Though I hope this will turn out okay…_Tomoya was still uncertain about how well this drama club idea would turn out. It could sink easily like the Titanic if anything didn't go according to plan.

Scratch, scratch.

"I'm done." Nagisa showed Tomoya the poster she had made.

"Hmm..." Tomoya stared at the sheet of paper Nagisa held. "Don't you think that there's something missing?"

"Hmm…." Nagisa turn the poster around to inspect it. "I wonder what…"

Right now, it was just a piece of paper with words written on it. There was a lot of blank space.

"I think what's missing is some illustrations." Tomoya said.

"That's right." Nagisa set the poster down. "That would be nice."

"So that means you should start drawing now." Tomoya checked the time. 15 minutes before classes resume.

"Me…?" Nagisa pointed to herself.

"Is there someone else who's going to draw it?" Tomoya said wryly. "Come on."

"Okazaki-san." Nagisa responded.

"You know, I'm really bad at art."

"I'm not good at that subject either." Nagisa fiddled around with the sharpie in her hand. "Didn't you make a self-portrait during middle school?"

"Yeah, I did." Tomoya recalled being forced to do such a thing.

"Though I did my best…" Nagisa murmured. "The teacher told me it looked like curry rice."

Tomoya shrugged. "I was told that I looked like a sturdy catcher's mitt."

"Curry rice and a catcher's mitt?" Nagisa said.

"It sounds…" Tomoya sighed. "Ridiculous no matter what."

"He also said to me that I should have added some vegetables pickled in soy sauce."

"It's not that I prefer normal gloves." Tomoya chuckled. "But why the hell does it have to be a catcher's mitt of all things?"

A moment of silence.

"Should we ask someone who's good at drawing?" Takahashi popped into Tomoya's head as someone who'd be suited for the jack-of-all-trades role. Tomoya didn't want to argue about it anymore, so he stood up.

"Ah…Please wait." Nagisa called out.

"Huh?"

"I'll draw it." Nagisa raised the sharpie in her hand. "I'm the club president, after all."

"That's right. And don't use recycled paper, okay?" Tomoya sat down again.

"What should I draw?" Nagisa wondered. Nagisa carefully uncapped the sharpie and another colored pen. There weren't many things that she could draw well.

"You should think of that yourself." Tomoya replied, as he couldn't think of much either. Illustrating something was hard enough, relating to drama raised the bar an extra notch. "You should draw something you're good at."

"Yes…" Nagisa said, lost in thought. "What would it be?"

"Like curry rice." Tomoya joked.

"Not that!" Nagisa shook her head furiously.

_I guess that's an unpleasant memory for her._ Tomoya thought.

"Is it alright if I draw something normal?" Nagisa asked. "I have something in mind that I'm good at."

"It's okay." Tomoya was curious to see what Nagisa had come up with. "Only if it's cute."

"It's really cute!" Nagisa had an enthusiastic smile on her face already.

Saying that, she started drawing while singing a song. "Dango, dango, dango…"

_Hmm?_ Tomoya frowned. _I've heard this melody before, but I can't remember where…_

Getting worried at what Nagisa was drawing, Tomoya looked over Nagisa's shoulder to see that she was drawing faces inside some circles. As he thought that she was finished drawing one, Tomoya noticed several of them linked together.

_Suddenly, the club recruitment poster became filled with life…_Tomoya didn't voice that sarcastic sentiment.

"I'm done." Nagisa hugged the poster, and presented it to Tomoya.

"Woah…" Tomoya scanned the poster quickly. No blank spot; it was completely covered with mysterious creatures.

"Are you crazy?" Tomoya cried, looking at the poster in disbelief. "Just look at this! Nobody can read it now!"

"You're right…" Nagisa set the poster down. "It's become hard to read."

Tomoya shook his head. "Why did you draw lots of unknown creatures…"

"You're wrong." Nagisa smiled. "They're not unknown, they're famous."

"What?" Tomoya stared at the creatures on the poster. They didn't seem familiar.

"It's the Big Dango Family." Nagisa explained.

"The…The Big Dango Family…" Tomoya echoed. He recalled that it was a really popular song children's song from a few years ago.

"The Big Dango Family is a big family, so it has a lot of members." Nagisa continued, motioning towards the poster.

"Furukawa…I'll be honest." Tomoya began.

"Yes?"

"You have really bad taste." Tomoya said flat out.

"Eh…" Nagisa's expression suddenly became saddened.

"The Big Dango Family is really old." Tomoya argued. "And it's not popular anymore."

"That's not true…It being old doesn't matter." Nagisa countered. "Cute things should always be cute."

"Ugh, it might be cute, but it's out of fashion now." With that remark, however, Tomoya carefully examined one of the smaller Dangos that Nagisa had drawn. "But…I guess you like old things…"

"I guess so…" Nagisa murmured. "But, I still think it's cute. Even now…"

"Oh really…That's good then..." Tomoya held his head in his hands. He was starting to think it may have been better if he had just drawn a catcher's mitt. But then again, they weren't the baseball team.

"Is the Big Dango Family not good enough…?" Nagisa was watching Tomoya, putting him on the spot.

_This is bad…_Tomoya tried to postulate a way out of it. _I can't let her feel disappointed with this. _

"No…It's not a bad idea…" Tomoya said slowly.

"But you said earlier that I have bad taste…" Nagisa pointed out.

"I just said that you have bad taste. But that doesn't mean that the Big Dango Family is bad as well." Tomoya covered up for his previous statement with that. Although he felt that he had explained it to her in a bad way.

"I see. I have mixed feelings." Was Nagisa's reply.

_I guess she doesn't get the idea, so I'll leave it at that._ Tomoya breathed a sigh of relief. _ Although…You can clearly see her personality when you look closely at the poster. Thought it makes you think that would be better if it were a joke._

"Anyways." Tomoya picked up the poster and stood up. "This means that the poster is now finished. Good work, good work."

"Where are you going?" Nagisa asked.

"Xerox, we need to make copies so we can put it up after school." Tomoya explained, without looking back. He started walking away. "That's all I can do for now."

"Ah…Okay!" Nagisa watched Tomoya as he walked out of the clubroom.

After that, Tomoya went to the staff room and used the photocopier.

….

"Ah, I see you've returned, my friend." Takahashi immediately greeted Tomoya upon his return to the classroom.

"Stop it with that 'my friend' line. It creeps me out." Tomoya sat down at his desk. He covered his face with his hands, as though he were suffering from fatigue.

"I can't." Takahashi walked over to Tomoya with a grin. "It's become a habit of mine. Please excuse me."

"Ugh…" Tomoya looked up at Takahashi. "It doesn't help to be polite about it if you're not going to change it."

At this very moment, Sunohara also returned to the classroom, holding his head as he took his seat.

"Hey, cheer up." Takahashi patted Sunohara on the back in a friendly manner.

"Who's fault is it that I don't feel cheerful?" Sunohara glared at Tomoya in the same manner one would glare at their nemesis.

"Hmm…" Tomoya pretended to be in thought. "…The person in front of your seat?"

"It was you!" Sunohara shouted. "You! Damn you! Tch…I wanted to brag to those people who hadn't had any that I'd eaten it on the first day…"

"There'll be another time." Takahashi assured Sunohara. "Besides, it's just a food commodity. It ain't the end of the world."

"Well…" Tomoya leaned forward. "What would you do if I told you I had it on the first day?"

"You wouldn't have a life if you did that to me." Sunohara gave Tomoya another threatening look.

"Now now…" Takahashi waved a hand in front of Sunohara.

"Any why is that?" Tomoya egged Sunohara on. "Say it in English."

"Kill…me-!" Sunohara forced the words out in English.

"You're really scary…" Tomoya laughed.

"The only scary thing is hating food." Sunohara muttered.

"Kill you? If you insist." Takahashi said in English, before quickly moving his left hand to grab Sunohara's neck and placing his right hand over Sunohara's throat-bole like a knife.

"EEEEEE!" Sunohara shrieked in horror. "What are you doing?"

"You said to kill you, right?" Takahashi chuckled, releasing Sunohara. "Your English requires a bit of improvement, my friend."

"Grr…" Sunohara straightened his collar. "I'll improve it when I feel like it."

"Haha…You're just so desperate." Tomoya chided.

"Well, if you're going to pick the new product, you have to." Sunohara said.

"I didn't have any, so go live in peace." Tomoya turned away.

"What? So you weren't able to get one…" Sunohara looked at Tomoya with condoling eyes. "I'll let it go if that's the case. Well, take care of your life."

"That's my line." Tomoya replied.

"Ah…I wanted to eat one too…" Sunohara muttered to himself. He hung his head from shame again and began to grumble.

"Um…Well…Okazaki-kun…" Ryou approached Takahashi and Tomoya.

"Huh…?" Tomoya looked at Ryou.

"Are you not going anywhere again?" Ryou asked.

"Nope." Tomoya looked out the window again.

"Really?"

"Yes…" Tomoya didn't look away from the window. _I wonder why's asking like that. Furthermore, she's being sure about it._

"H…Here…" Ryou handed Tomoya a piece of paper.

"Ahh…it's the homeroom lesson printout." Tomoya took the paper and read it over. "Thanks."

After that, Tomoya rested his body on his desk.

Ryou however, didn't move an inch from where she stood.

"Hmmm?" Takahashi tapped Ryou on the shoulder. "Is there something else you wanted to talk to him about?"

"Ah…well..." Ryou was about to say something, but decided against it at the last moment. "No…it's nothing…"

Ryou's shoulders drooped as she started to head back to her seat.

"Hey." Takahashi quickly caught up with her. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing…" Ryou said.

"You sure?" Takahashi stood in front of her now. "Doesn't look like nothing to me."

"No, really…" Ryou insisted. "It's fine."

"Alright, well..." Takahashi placed a hand on her shoulder. "If there's ever anything that's bugging you, you can tell me."

"Yes…" Ryou nodded her head slowly. "Thank you…"

Ryou went back to her seat, still looking somewhat depressed though.

Tomoya observed the short exchanged, before resting his chin on his hand and looking out the window again.

…..

After the lesson ended, Tomoya left the classroom. His destination was the drama club. Though he didn't intend to be in such a hurry, Tomoya found himself in the clubroom alone; with Nagisa to be nowhere in sight.

"Ahoy!" A voice called out from the hallway. "Mind if I come in?"

Surprised, Tomoya walked over to the door and opened it. It was Takahashi.

"…What are you doing here?" Tomoya asked.

"I was trying to talk to you, but you were in such a hurry that I had to follow you instead." Takahashi explained. He then looked around the clubroom. "So uh…you waiting for someone?"

"…You can guess." Tomoya checked the clock on the wall.

"Aha!" Takahashi snapped his fingers. "You're waiting for Furukawa, and then you two are going to do something special?"

Tomoya socked Takahashi in the face.

"Ow!' Takahashi fell down on his rear. "What was that for?" He protested, rubbing his cheek.

Tomoya chuckled. "Didn't I say to drop that talk? You never learn do you?" He offered a hand to Takahashi.

"Haha…true enough…" Takahashi took Tomoya's hand, and Tomoya helped him to his feet. "All jokes asides though, what are you doing?"

"Oh yeah, that reminds me." Tomoya realized that he could try recruiting Takahashi into the Drama Club. At the very least, that'd be a start. "Would you be interested in joining the Drama Club?"

"Hmm…Drama Club…" Takahashi considered the offer. "When do you plan to have club meetings and the likes?"

"That has yet to be decided." Tomoya stated. "The club president will determine that."

"Eh…" Takahashi stared at Tomoya. "Then who's the president?"

"That would be Furukawa." Tomoya glanced at the doorway. "Though she isn't here right now…"

"Hmm…It sounds like fun…" Takahashi nodded. "But I don't know if I can't make it or not. I have a commitment to the basketball team and my part time job. On top of that, we also have exams and the likes…"

_Oh yeah, I forgot…_Tomoya thought. _Takahashi isn't like me. He studies and works, and he hopes to get into a university…_

"Well, you may consider me a member for now." Takahashi crossed his arms. "But don't count on me to attend all the meetings you guys have."

"Thanks." Tomoya breathed a sigh of relief. _That's one already._ He then checked the clock again. _What in the world is Furukawa doing…_

Both Takahashi and Tomoya waited for about a half an hour, but Nagisa still hadn't shown up.

"Well…" Takahashi checked the clock. "My shift starts in in another half hour. And I got basketball practice right after. I guess I'll have to bail on you."

"Right." Tomoya nodded. "Sorry to have kept you."

"Not at all." Takahashi smiled. "Give my regards to Furukawa when she shows up." He bowed, before starting to walk towards the doorway.

"Oh by the way…" Tomoya still had one question to ask. "Where do you work?"

"Ah." Takahashi turned around and pushed up his glasses.

_Why does he push up his glasses all the time, even when they aren't close to falling off?_ Tomoya thought.

"I work at the bookstore near the station." Takahashi took out his notebook and pen. "You know that station right beside the shopping district, right?"

"Yeah…What bookstore?" Tomoya asked.

"Uh…" Takahashi wrote down the address on a page, torn it off, and gave it to Tomoya. "It's a really nice place. Work isn't too demanding either. Just about right for a typical high schooler. Come visit sometime if you want. My shift is from 3:00 until 5:00 in the afternoon on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Oh, that also means that I won't be joining you and Youhei tonight."

"Uh…" Tomoya looked at the piece of paper in his hand. "Yea, right. And why not?"

"We have an exam tomorrow." Takahashi explained. "Basic derivatives and derivative applications. Were you not paying attention during class?"

"I'm afraid my mind was elsewhere." Tomoya put the piece of paper into his shirt pocket.

"Well, you better study." Takahashi gave Tomoya a friendly punch to the shoulder. "Keep your chin up, my friend."

"Yea, yea." Tomoya hadn't the slightest interest in studying though. "Good luck to you."

"Likewise to you." Takahashi bowed, before leaving the clubroom.

With Takahashi gone, Tomoya had some time left. He decided to scribble something on the edge of the blackboard in the drama room. "Day Duty: Nagisa Furukawa". Finishing that, Tomoya continued to wait around for a while. He was started to get a little worried, so Tomoya decided to go out and look for Nagisa.

_She might be in the courtyard._ Tomoya thought. He looked down from the window just outside the drama club room. And there Nagisa was, all by herself.

'Woah…What's she doing? Did she think it was time for lunch?" Tomoya descended a few flights of stairs, and walked towards the courtyard.

….

Tomoya approached Nagisa.

"Hey…" He called out to Nagisa. "It's not lunch break. What are you doing here?"

Nagisa was holding a broom with a bamboo stick as its handle. She spun the broom around by the handle in silence.

_No matter how I look at it, she looks kind of down._ Tomoya sighed.

"What's wrong?" Tomoya asked, sitting down beside Nagisa. "Did something happen?"

Twirl, Twirl. Nagisa spun the broom in front of their feet and into the ground.

"Cleaning duty, huh. Is that right?"

"…Yes." Nagisa finally answered.

"What's wrong then?" Tomoya tapped the broom with his hand. "Why aren't you doing your cleaning duty?"

"I did." Nagisa twirled the broom again.

"So you were doing it. Well, why did you stop halfway?"

"Well, you see…" Nagisa began. "You see…" She couldn't finish what she wanted to say. Nagisa pondered for a while. And then, she suddenly stood up.

"I can't tell you why, Okazaki-san." She finally said, and started walking away.

"Wait a second!" Tomoya called out after her. He also stood up and chased after her. "You're hard to understand, you know? What is it? Do I look like a bad person now?"

"No, that's not it…" Nagisa shook her head. 'You're a nice guy, Okazaki-san."

"You don't need to say I'm a nice guy…" Tomoya looked Nagisa in the eye. "You see…you're the kind of girl that shouldn't be hurt."

"I understand." Nagisa still seemed hesitant.

"If so, you should tell me what's wrong. Just as always."

"I think…That you're getting bored with me…" Nagisa finally conceded. "I always waste time that you feel is important…"

"That's not true." Tomoya felt relieved. It wasn't anything too serious. "I'm having fun. Woah, I said it, sorry…"

Nagisa stopped and spun the broom she was holding. Tomoya watched her carefully. He suddenly sensed that something was wrong. Nagisa looked at Tomoya, and calmed down.

_What the hell am I doing…_ Tomoya thought. Nagisa remained silent.

Tomoya suddenly had an idea. "You like dango, right?"

"Yes…"

"Well then, say the Big Dango Family." Tomoya suggested. "And do your best."

"I wonder if they sell the Big Dango…"

"Anyhow…" Tomoya quickly cut her off. "I'll try to do something about that. So, say the Big Dango Family now."

Nagisa closed her eyes and then…"The Big Dango Family." She said with hope.

"So…are you feeling better now?" Tomoya asked.

"Yes…" Nagisa opened her eyes and faced Tomoya happily.

"Tell me if something happens later on." Tomoya patted Nagisa on the head. "For now, you should do what you're supposed to be doing."

"Yes." Nagisa grapsed the broom she was holding and began walking away.

"Oh wait." Tomoya stopped her. "Before I forget, I wanted to share some news. It seems that the Drama Club already has its first recruit."

"Eh?" Nagisa turned around with a surprised look on her face.

Tomoya smiled. "You remember Takahashi-san? Well, he decided to join the Drama Club after I talked to him about it. Although he did warn me that he might not be able to attend all the meetings."

"Really?" Nagisa's face brightened. "That's wonderful!"

"Uh-huh." Tomoya nodded. "We're one step closer to bringing back the Drama Club now."

"Thank you, Okazaki-san." Nagisa gripped the broom tightly. "I'll finish cleaning so we can go put up the posters."

"Alright."

After Nagisa finished her cleaning duty, she and Tomoya went to the school's bulletin boards and put up the posters. They were, however, a month late for recruitment. There were other recruitment posters put up, so theirs didn't really stand out. Tomoya took a good long look at the last bulletin board they posted. Beside him, Nagisa seemed down for some reason, and remained silent while standing there.

"Well…" Tomoya motioned to Nagisa. "I think we should go and buy some of the Big Dango Family now…"

…...

"I have one question." Tomoya said as they reached the bottom of the hill outside of school.

"Yes?" Nagisa responded.

"Well, what if…" Tomoya crossed his arms.

"Yes?"

"What would you do if they didn't sell the Big Dango Family?" Tomoya finally asked.

"Huh…?" Nagisa looked at Tomoya like she was about to cry.

"Just kidding." Tomoya quickly said.

They went to some supermarkets on their way home, but couldn't find one that sold any. At that point, Nagisa looked like she was about to cry again. And Tomoya still had no idea what happened during her cleaning duty. But he could tell that Nagisa was more crushed because they couldn't find the Big Dango Family.

_Maybe, if I do something on my own, she'll get back to normal…?_ Tomoya thought.

"It's already an old product, so it's only natural that we won't find any…I guess no one likes the Big Dango Family anymore…" Nagisa had given up all hope.

"Wait…" Tomoya took out his wallet, checked his wallet, and glanced back at Nagisa. "I guess I have no choice." He said quietly. "Furukawa."

Nagisa turned around as Tomoya called her name. "Yes?" She faced Tomoya with a pained expression.

"You should go home now. Just leave the Big Dango Family to me, alright?"

"…Really?" Nagisa asked.

"Really." Tomoya nodded, giving her a thumbs up as well. "So are you okay now?"

"Yes, I'm really happy." Was Nagisa's response. She did not, however, look happy at all.

"Alright, you should bear with it and go home for now."

"But…" Nagisa protested.

"That's it." Tomoya cut her off. "Don't ask any more questions."

"I might be causing you more trouble…" Nagisa said sullenly.

"It's all right." Tomoya reassured her. "So just go home."

"Okay…" Nagisa looked a little worried as she nodded. Tomoya watched her as she started to walk away.

"Please don't cry on your way home." Tomoya whispered those final words, before going back to the business at hand.

…..


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Closed for Inventory**

Tomoya went into a supermarket and bought a bunch of dango. He figured that if he couldn't find the Big Dango Family, he'd make one from scratch. He carried the bag of dangos all the way to his house.

"Whew…damn…so heavy…" Tomoya muttered.

He put the shopping bag on the floor in his room and stretched. Then, he opened the shopping bag, took out a pack of dango, and opened the seal. Tomoya put one of the dango in his hand. _I wonder what kind of face it had_. _I'm certain it was something like this…_

Tomoya drew a face in the dango using a small stick that came with the shopping bag.

"Hmm…" Tomoya examined the dango carefully. It looked similar enough to the ones that Nagisa had drawn. "This should be fine. Though it is still an amateur job…"

There should be 100 dangos in the Big Dango Family, or so Tomoya recalled. "If I don't do this." He picked up another dango. "She'll feel sad again." Tomoya moved the stick towards the dango.

Poke, poke….poke, poke…After drawing the face on this dango, Tomoya soaked it in some red food colouring.

…..

An hour had passed without Tomoya realizing it. He was almost done making all 100 dangos. He sighed, finally realizing that he was feeling rather thirsty. He had been quite focused on making the dango. He stood up to go get some water to drink. When he returned to the room, Tomoya's father, Naoyuki, was there. Watching his father like that, Tomoya could feel something tighten within his chest. He started to feel a bit angry.

"What are you doing…?" Tomoya broke the silence.

"It's about this…" His father held up one of the dango and smiled. "Look. That's right; it's the Big Dango Family. This sure brings back memories…"

Tomoya just stood at the doorway and remained silent.

"What are you going to do with this?" Naoyuki asked.

"I'm doing this for someone…" Tomoya averted his eyes from his father.

"I see…" Naoyuki nodded. "For a friend."

"Yeah."

"Well then, won't you let me help you?" Naoyuki looked at the dango again.

"Why?" Tomoya clenched his hand into fists.

"I want to help if it's one of your friends. It might give your friend the courage to talk about their problems." Naoyuki still had that kind smile on his face.

_Just leave me alone…_Tomoya gritted his teeth. _I don't like the way you put it. Why is it necessary for you to talk to my friends? Aren't you my father? Why are you talking to me like I'm one of your friends?_

Tomoya wanted to ask those questions. He wanted an answer.

"You see, I'm good at this." Naoyuki tried to take the bamboo stick that Tomoya was holding.

"Stop it!" Tomoya shouted. He pushed his father's hand away.

Naoyuki was surprised as he looked into Tomoya's face.

"Stop it…" Tomoya repeated. "It doesn't really matter to you now, does it?" He lowered his head down.

Despite that, Naoyuki was still looking at Tomoya. As far as Tomoya was concerned, Naoyuki wasn't looking at him like his own child, but like a friend that he had hurt. Tomoya quickly gathered all the dango that were lying on the nearby table, and stuffed them inside the shopping bag. He left the room without looking once at his father.

….

"Pant…Pant…" Tomoya finally stopped running.

He quickly realized that his lungs were in pain. He had run from his house all the way to Nagisa's house.

"Ah…." Tomoya noticed that just ahead, Nagisa was standing there.

"Furukawa…" Tomoya approached Nagisa, although his legs were a bit shaky. "Furukawa." He called Nagisa again.

"Yes." Nagisa replied.

Tomoya couldn't say anything though. For some reason, he could not form words. _What's wrong with me…_He thought.

Nagisa tilted her head. Tomoya stood still and breathed heavily.

"Are you tired?" Nagisa reached out her hand to support Tomoya, who looked like he was about to collapse any second.

"No…" Tomoya held up his hand to stop Nagisa. "Not really…" Despite that, he continued taking in deep breaths like a madman.

"Well…what's that?" Nagisa pointed to the bag in Tomoya's hand.

"Ah.. .this?" Tomoya handed the bag to Nagisa. "It's for you."

Nagisa took the bag and looked inside. And inside were a bunch of dango with faces.

"Wow…it's the Big Dango Family!" Nagisa was overjoyed.

"Yes, it is." Tomoya exhaled.

"They really are a big family."

"Yep, one big family." Tomoya found himself agreeing with whatever Nagisa was saying.

"And I want to be with them."

"Yeah, you can become one of them."

"Ehehe…" Nagisa looked inside the bag for a while, smiling.

Tomoya stood there, watching Nagisa. Watching her smile made Tomoya calm down.

…

After a while, Tomoya and Nagisa went to the park. Tomoya sat down on a bench and looked at the swings.

"I was being called Curry Master Painter just a while ago." Nagisa suddenly said.

"Huh?" The sudden words caught Tomoya off guard.

"I'm talking about the self-portrait."

"Oh yeah…" Tomoya nodded. "The story earlier at lunch? I was forced into being a catcher a lot."

"We sure have the same bad luck, don't we?" Nagisa sighed.

"Indeed." Tomoya let out a small laugh. "Though not as bad as your yummy portrait."

"Yeah, I guess you're right…I was always clumsy…That's why I was teased a lot. And even now…" Nagisa put both her hands on her chest as though she was in pain. "When I realized it, I was all alone."

That was when Tomoya understood what had happened to her after school.

"Even though cleaning duty wasn't over…" Nagisa continued. "I went to the courtyard alone…"

"Oh, I see…" Tomoya felt depressed as he listened to Nagisa's story. However, he then felt that depressed wasn't quite the emotion to describe what he felt, because he noticed that Nagisa was still smiling. Just watching her that way made Tomoya feel better.

"You know…" Tomoya looked up at the sky. _Maybe there's something I can do for her._ _If she's ever alone…it would be nice if we could be together._

"When you feel like crying because you're lonely…Just call me." Tomoya turned to face Nagisa. "You wouldn't be lonely if you did that, right?"

"Well…I might be bothering you." Nagisa lowered her head.

"You're wrong, Furukawa." Tomoya said. "It won't bother me, because I don't have anything to worry about."

_It's what I want to do._ He thought. It was the first time Tomoya had ever felt like this. One would never have expected that such thoughts would actually be possible for Tomoya.

"Don't worry about bothering me. I'm always bored anyway."

"…I understand. I'll call you when I feel like crying." Nagisa responded.

"Yeah." Tomoya gave a warm smile. "Do that."

"But, I'll also do my best, so I won't have to call you."

"Right, you should do that too." Tomoya looked back up at the sky. "But…if you don't call out to me…"

_That would make me feel really lonely…_Tomoya contemplated that notion. _No, but maybe that would be good. It would mean that she's trying her best…For some reason, I don't know anymore. _

"If I don't call out to you?" Nagisa gave Tomoya a concerned look.

"…Huh?"

"Are you bored?" Nagisa asked.

"Yeah…" Tomoya nodded sullenly. "I'm bored."

"Well then, I'll call you, even though I'm trying my best. Is that alright with you?"

"Yeah." Tomoya felt relieved hearing that. "That's fine."

"Okay." Nagisa clasped her hands together and smiled.

….

It was nighttime now. Tomoya felt rather hungry. As he and Nagisa walked towards the Furukawa bakery, two figures approached them. It was enough for Tomoya to figure out that it was Nagisa's parents.

"It's time to come home, Nagisa." Akio crossed his arms.

"Yo!" Tomoya greeted Akio.

"Oh! Aren't you Cosmo Saito?" Akio grinned.

"Ara….Universe Tarou-san." Sanae also called out a random name with a smile.

_Don't go changing my name…_Tomoya sighed.

"It's Okazaki-san, dad, mom." Nagisa corrected.

"Ah!" Akio closed his eyes. "That's the guy with the uncool name."

"Did you come to play again?" Sanae asked.

"Ah…" Tomoya hesitated. "Well…"

"You should snatch her away if you're a man!" Akio abruptly shouted. He then lowered his voice again. "But even then, I won't just give her to the likes of you."

"Akio-san, no one said anything about that." Sanae pointed out calmly.

"Woah, I jumped to conclusions there." Akio cleared his throat. "Sorry about that."

_You're pretty cheerful jumping to conclusions…_Tomoya thought.

"Please come in, Okazaki-san." Sanae offered.

"That's right." Akio nodded. "Don't just sneak in like you're her lover."

"How about it?" Sanae asked. "Will we worry your parents?"

"No, not really, but…I guess I'll be going home now." Tomoya said.

"I see. Off you go then. Scram." Akio motioned to Tomoya to go away.

"Really?" Sanae looked disappointed. "That's too bad…Come back again tomorrow, ok?"

"Alright. See you later, Furukawa." Tomoya turned away.

"Okay." Three voices responded at once.

"Tsk…you didn't say that to me, right?" Akio muttered. "Hey, you're younger than me, so why are you calling me by my last name? Damn you, call me Akio-sama next time!"

"Calm down…Akio-san." Sanae smiled.

"It's Akio-sama!" Akio insisted.

"Yes…Akio-sama." Sanae responded.

_They sure are a funny family._ Tomoya thought.

"Good night then, Okazaki-san." Nagisa, smiling, waved goodbye to Tomoya.

Tomoya burned Nagisa's smile into his memory and left.

…..

While that was happening, Takahashi was sitting at his desk in his room. Frowning at a math question, he repeatedly scratched his head and tapped his pencil on his desk. He had been going at this question for about 20 minutes, but the solution still eluded him, as it probably did those before him.

"How frustrating,.." Takahashi lamented. "Perhaps it's time I take a breather."

Putting his pencil and calculator asides, he looked around his room. Beside his desk to the left was a TV set, full with two video game consoles. Directly above his desk, a renaissance styled saber hung from the wall. To the right of his desk was his bed. Directly across from his bed was the entrance to the bathroom and shower room.

Takahashi tapped his fingers on his desk. "What to do…" He wondered.

_Knock knock._ A sound emanated from the door directly behind him.

"Enter." Takahashi spun around in his revolving chair to face the door.

The door opened.

"…Huh?" Takahashi stared at the person who entered. "Youhei? What are you doing here at this hour?"

"Well…" Sunohara took off his shoes as he walked over and sat down on Takahashi's bed. "Okazaki never showed up. So it's been quite boring for me."

Takahashi and Sunohara lived relatively close to each other. Takahashi lived in an apartment about 2 blocks away from the male dormitory. The rent was covered partly by his own earnings and partly by his parents.

"…So." Takahashi faced Sunohara and crossed his arms. "To alleviate your own boredom, you come and disturb my quiet studying?"

"Ah…" Sunohara laughed nervously. "If it's a problem…"

"Hahaha!" Takahashi shook his head. "I'm just messing with you. Your timing was good. I was just stuck on a problem, and so I decided to take a short break."

"Problem?" Sunohara peeked over at Takahashi's desk. "What sort of problem?"

"Ah, this one." Takahashi pointed at a question on his booklet. "The integration of lnx dx. We didn't cover this in derivatives, but I figured some other questions wouldn't hurt."

"….." Sunohara stared blankly at the question for a while. Finally, he said, "…I don't even know how to start this one…"

Takahashi flipped back a few pages. "Well." He pointed towards another question. "Try this one. Piece of cake, right?"

The question said d/dx tanx.

"….." Sunohara hung his head. "I have no idea…"

"…" Takahashi gave Sunohara a pitiful look. "If you have no idea how to do this…" Takahashi scribbled down sec2x. "You're in a bind for the exam."

"Ugh…" Sunohara shook his head. "I don't care about getting into college anyways." Grumbling, he took a seat on Takahashi's bed again.

"That is no good man." Takahashi spun around in his revolving chair to face Sunohara. "You'll never get a girlfriend if that's the way you're going to tackle your future."

"And you're saying you'll get one?" Sunohara retorted.

"Well, that's in progress right now…" Takahashi shrugged.

"Anyways, you've got some porno magazines lying anywhere here?" Sunohara looked around Takahashi's room.

"…5 feet to your left, 1 foot down." Takahashi replied, turning back to his desk.

Sunohara walked over to Takahashi's closet, opened it up, and picked out a magazine from the stack there. Sunohara whistled.

"That's a good shot right there." Sunohara scanned the magazine.

_I am a guy after all…I do hope this is forgivable…_Takahashi thought while twirling his pencil in his hand.

Sunohara made himself at home on Takahashi's bed, and flipped through the magazine. He suddenly stopped on one page.

"That reminds me." Sunohara sat up straight again. "You've been talking a lot to Fujibayashi lately. You fancy her, am I right?"

"…" Takahashi scribbled down a few equations on a piece of paper. "Well, I do like her you know. I find her to be quite charming."

"That's right, you were both in the same class in your junior year, right?" Sunohara asked.

"Uh-huh. That said I didn't start talking to her a lot until this year." Takahashi jotted down f(x) = lnx, f'(x) = 1/x dx.

"You've changed the way you address her too." Sunohara gave a mischievous grin. "Ryou-san, was it?"

"Yea, so?" Takahashi jotted down g'(x) = dx, g(x) = x.

"When do you plan to make a move on her?" Sunohara shamelessly threw that question at Takahashi.

Snap! The lead on Takahashi's pencil broke. Shaking a bit and red-faced for once, he turned to face Sunohara.

"That's a private thing, isn't it?" He asked indignantly. "Why are you so interested in this?"

"Oh, just cause, just cause…" Sunohara laughed.

"Well, to answer honestly…" Takahashi sharpened his pencil, ears and neck still red. "I was going to ask her out on Monday."

"Monday?" Sunohara echoed, tilting his head. "Why Monday?"

"Well, I was hoping to impress her during our little airsoft match." Takahashi explained. "If I could show her my good side in all aspects, she may consider me asking her out seriously. Or so I reasoned."

Takahashi wrote down a few more variables and equations before continuing to speak. "I'm not the best guy in the world, and I sure as hell am not a 'chick magnet'. But she's a really nice girl, you know? If we get to know each other better, perhaps we can create happy memories that will last a lifetime."

"You're being way too romantic there…" Sunohara flipped to another page in the magazine he was holding. "I dunno if that's how it really works between couples."

"It would be worth the while to at least try." Takahashi wrote down his solution: xlnx – x. "Finally…So anyways, they say that action does not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action."

"Meh…" Sunohara flipped another page. "If you ask her out and she rejects you, what happens then?"

"Well…" Takahashi paused to think about that seriously. "If that does happen, no hard feelings I suppose. But I am worried that we won't be able to remain friends if that happens. I don't know why, but I somehow get that feeling."

"Well, if you ask me." Sunohara returned the magazine he was holding and took another one from the pile, before returning to lying down on Takahashi's bed. "The biggest problem you're going to have is Kyou."

"Eh?" Takahashi looked up from his desk at Sunohara. "Why is that?"

"Well…" Sunohara shrugged. "You know how violent and aggressive she is, right? She's also overly protective of her sister."

"Well." Takahashi rested his chin on his hands. "What's to stop me from using a little diplomacy? Ask her nicely if I can date her sister."

"That doesn't solve the fundamental problem." Sunohara shook his head. "Kyou doesn't know you too well. She's known me for a year now, and she's still trying to drive me into the ground. Think about what happens to you, a complete stranger."

"It's nice to see you using big words every now and then." Takahashi chuckled.

"Give me some credit, will you?" Sunohara muttered. "Anyway, what are you going to do about Kyou if she doesn't let you?"

"Hmm…" Takahashi suddenly snapped his fingers. "I'll challenge her then. Fujibayashi-san seems to be the kind who enjoys engaging in some friendly competition."

"I wonder about that…" Sunohara gave Takahashi an indifferent look. "Don't blame me if you get your neck sliced."

"We'll see." Takahashi placed a check mark beside his answer. "It'll have to wait until after our airsoft game."

After that, the two of them remained silent. Sunohara went back and forth, replacing and taking magazines from Takahashi's closet while Takahashi continued working at problems.

Eventually, Sunohara stood up. "Hey, do you mind if I use your washroom?"

"…" Takahashi turned around and gave Sunohara an angry look. "You're not jacking off on my toilet."

"Tch. I didn't even have that in mind." Sunohara tossed aside the magazine he was holding and put on his shoes. "Whatever, I'll head back to my room."

"Yea, you do that." Takahashi nodded. "See you at school."

"Yeah." Sunohara waved his hand over his shoulder as he walked out of Takahashi's room. The door slammed shut.

Takahashi did a few more calculus problems and placed the magazine Sunohara had tossed aside back into a neat pile in his closet before he decided to hit the bed and call it a day.

…..


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: Meaningful Ways to Pass Time**

"Ngh…" Tomoya shielded his face from the sunlight entering his room.

"Gah…why did I wake up this early…" Tomoya looked at his alarm clock. He had enough time to make it for first period. He promptly got up and changed clothes.

He made his way to the living room, and stepped over his father, who was lying on the ground unmoving. When he got to the usual route to school, he noticed that the scenery somehow looked different. He could see a lot of students that went to the same school as him. Out of all of the students there, one stood out to him; a tall guy with spiky black hair and glasses carrying a backpack.

_Takahashi?_ Tomoya observed Takahashi from a distance. _He's always early isn't he? Well anyways, I guess I'll go somewhere else for a while._ Tomoya made a detour to the left. _It's not like anybody is going to call out and stop me._

"Where are you going?" A voice called out to Tomoya from behind. Then a hand tugged at his sleeve. Tomoya turned around.

"Okazaki-san, the school is this way." It was Nagisa.

"That's right, my mistake." Tomoya found himself being forced to rejoin the mass of students.

"How can you make a mistake?" Nagisa inquired. "Everyone is going this way."

"Heh." Tomoya shrugged. "That just makes me want to go the other way."

"No, you finally got here without being late, so let's go together." Nagisa walked side by side with Tomoya now.

_Within this crowd, walking side by side with this girl…It's a situation that makes me shiver just thinking about it. _Tomoya quickly thought of an escape.

"Hey!" Tomoya called out to the figure in front of him.

"Huh?" Takahashi turned around. "Okazaki-san? Mighty early today aren't you, my friend?"

"So it seems."

Takahashi quickly backtracked to join Tomoya and Nagisa. "Morning to you, Furukawa."

"Ah, good morning." Nagisa nodded.

"Hey, uh…" Tomoya stopped Takahashi. "Can't we wait here for a bit?"

"Eh?" Takahashi gave Tomoya a strange look. "What's the matter?"

"Uh…" Tomoya paused, before turning to Nagisa. "Hey, you go on without me."

Nagisa quickly shook her head. "I can't do that. If you don't go, I'll stay here with you."

"You'll be late though." Takahashi alternated looks between Tomoya and Nagisa. "What's gotten into you?"

"That's okay." Nagisa stopped walking. "You should go on so you won't be late."

"Tch." Takahashi set down his backpack. "I guess I have no choice. I'll wait as well."

Tomoya stood still, watching the number of students going by decrease.

A while later…

"We're running late." Takahashi checked his watch.

"We'll make it if we leave now." Nagisa said.

Tomoya gave an indifferent shrug. "Maybe."

"Let's hurry." Takahashi picked up his backpack again.

The three of them walked forward again.

Vrmmm…

"Hmm?" Takahashi spun his head around. "Do you two hear something?"

"Eh?" Nagisa paused to listen carefully. "No, I don't hear anything."

Vrmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…..

"Okay…" Tomoya turned around. "What in the world is-"

VRMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM….SCREECH!

"Danger close!" Takahashi lunged at Tomoya, knocking him down to the ground.

"Guaah!" As Tomoya fell back, he saw a white motorbike passing through the place where he had just been standing.

CRASH!

The motorbike smashed into a nearby rail, and ejected it's rider off of it. The rider, who was a girl, rolled on the ground momentarily before coming to a halt.

"Okazaki-san! Takahashi-san!" Nagisa quickly ran over to the two of them. "Are you alright?"

"G-get off!" Tomoya quickly pushed Takahashi off his chest.

Takahashi unslung his backpack and ran over to attend to the girl. "Hey, are you alright? Stay with me, you're going to be okay."

"Ah…sorry!" The girl quickly got to her feet before Takahashi could help her. "Ahahaha…I'm not that good at this yet. I just got my license last week!"

"Ah…" Takahashi quickly realized that the girl was Kyou. "Fujibayashi-san?"

"Eh…?" Kyou also just realized who the people she had nearly struck were. "Takahashi-san? Tomoya?"

"…Kyou…." Tomoya rose unsteadily to his feet. "Did you seriously almost hit me with that thing?"

"Ahaha!" Kyou walked over to her fallen motorbike. "I just got my license last week. Of course, I passed on my first try. With this." Kyou raised the motorbike back upright. "Good, no dents or scratches. See? Isn't it cool?"

"Apologize properly before you start bragging about it!" Tomoya shouted angrily. "You could've done some serious damage!"

"Eh? Didn't I already say I was sorry?" Kyou dusted off the motorbike's seat. "Looks like I won't have to charge you for any repairs. You'd better be grateful."

"Is that was sincerity means to you?" Tomoya quickly closed the gap between him and Kyou.

"What are you talking about?" Kyou stuck her chest up and gave Tomoya a stern look. "It's your fault for spacing out while walking in the middle of the road isn't it?"

"Well, uh…" Takahashi perked up. "This is a side walk. Motor vehicles are supposed to be on the main road."

"Exactly." Tomoya nodded. "You wanna cause a traffic accident and get suspended, hah?"

"You complain too much." Kyou got back on her motorbike. "If you're weak, walk on the side where weak people walk. If you have so much energy to argue, wouldn't that make me the victim?"

"Listen here. If either of us should be grateful, it's you that I don't have you arrested. " Tomoya crossed his arms. "…Fine. I'll call the police and tell them there's a traffic accident here."

"If you do that I'll run you over until you die!" Kyou's eyes gave off a glint.

"Okazaki-san!" Nagisa ran over as well. "What's going on?"

"Nothing." Tomoya quickly assured.

"Fujibayashi-san…" Takahashi stepped between Tomoya and Kyou. "No need to get so worked up."

"I'm joking." Tomoya added.

Kyou had a smirk on her face. "I was serious though."

"…By the way…" Takahashi changed the subject. "What are you doing here at this time? Isn't it prohibited to commute to school by bike?"

"It's the perfect time right now, that's why I brought it." Kyou said haughtily. "There aren't many people, so I don't need to hurry. That makes it fun."

Stepping on the accelerator, Kyou quickly sped off. "See ya!"

"Ah…hey!" Tomoya called out after her. Kyou was already really far away by that time.

"Wow..." Takahashi shook his head in disbelief. "She's quite the charmer, huh?"

"Eh…" Tomoya turned to Takahashi. "I thought you were all for the younger sister."

"Haha, I am." Takahashi picked his backpack off the ground. "But you must allow me to say that the older one does have good looks."

"Um…" Nagisa raised her hand. "Who was she?"

"Oh…" Tomoya remembered that Nagisa was still here. "That would be the class representative of Class 3– E, Kyou Fujibayashi."

"Anyways…" Takahashi glanced at his watch. "That ate up some time. Let's pick up the pace."

….

When they reached the slope that preceded the school entrance, Tomoya noticed that there was a girl staring at the sky near one of the Sakura trees. Her face seemed familiar so Tomoya halted without a thought.

"Is something wrong, Okazaki-san?" Nagisa stopped walking as well. "Is she your friend?"

"No, not really…" Tomoya replied. "Let's go."

Takahashi glanced at the girl. "Hey, isn't that Sakagami-san?" He muttered to himself.

…..

Sunohara arrived in class as the first period ended.

"You're awfully early today too." Takahashi greeted Sunohara.

"I won't be able to settle my fight if I don't come early." Sunohara placed his bag on his desk and cracked his knuckles.

"Let's go." Sunohara said with confidence. "I'm going to get my revenke!"

"You won't be able to win, my friend." Takahashi quickly placed his hand on Sunohara's shoulder. "Also, it's revenge."

"It's all the same to me." Sunohara brushed aside Takahashi's hand. "And it's not like we're going to have a serious fight. I'm pretty sure there's some way to beat her. I have a plan. I'll tell you on the way."

Sunohara started walking out of the room.

"Geh…" Takahashi quickly followed him. "Hold up! I'm coming!"

Tomoya sat at his desk and watched the two of them leave.

"Um…" Ryou walked over to Tomoya. "Okazaki-kun."

"Ah!" Tomoya suddenly stood up.

"Y-yes?" Ryou stepped back.

"It's about your sister…" Tomoya explained. "I met her on the way here, she's got a bi—"

Tonk.

"…?" Something had hit Tomoya's forehead.

"Is something wrong…?" Ryou asked, noticing Tomoya's pause.

"Nothing…it's just that I felt something hit my head…" Tomoya rubbed his forehead to check. Nothing there. "Whatever. I saw Kyou this morning, and she almost hit me with a bi—"

Tonk.

"…..?" Once again, something had hit Tomoya's forehead.

"Okazaki-kun…?" Ryou tilted her head. She had a confused look on her face.

"Ah yeah, sorry. Like I said, a bi—"

Tonk.

"….She almost hit me with a bi—"

Tonk.

"A bi—"

Tonk…Tonk.

"Hey." A student nearby was whispering to another student. "It seems Okazaki was hit by a bi-sexual syndrome."

"Amazing, that's like being two in one." The other student whispered back.

"Who were you talking about?" Tomoya shouted at them angrily.

"Oh crap! He's looking our way!" One of the students cried.

"Let's hide our asses! He's gonna dig them out!" Both students quickly sprinted out of the classroom.

"That's pretty bold of you assholes!" Tomoya continued shouting furiously after them. "Want me to flush your face in the toilet?"

"Okazaki-kun…?" Ryou backed away from Tomoya.

"Wait, Fujibayashi." Tomoya turned back to her. "You're getting the wrong idea."

"I heard…" Ryou smiled nervously. "That there are people like that too, so…"

"What I'm trying to say is Kyou has a bi—"

TONK!

Suddenly, a light sound came from Tomoya's forehead. Tomoya felt a sharp impact. Tomoya bent over to look at the thing that fell down. It was a pencil eraser. Looking closely at it, Tomoya realized that the eraser was chipped all around it.

"Who the hell was that?" Tomoya looked around the room.

At the same time Tomoya had shouted, Kyou entered the classroom. Then, grabbing Tomoya by his necktie, she dragged him mercilessly out of the room.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Tomoya demanded.

"Why you!" Kyou hissed. "What are you trying to say in the middle of the class?"

"What?" Tomoya glared back at Kyou. "I was planning to tell your sister that you and—…mmph!"

Kyou covered Tomoya mouth so that he couldn't speak. She lowered her voice to a whisper so only Tomoya could hear her. "Listen you nitwit, are you trying to get me expelled? You know it's against the school policy to come here on a bike! The thing about me and the bike is definitely a secret, okay?"

"…And if I say anything?" Tomoya asked.

Kyou's eyes glittered. "I'll pull your eyeballs out of your nose."

_How can she say such scary things so calmly…_Tomoya wondered.

"All right." Kyou released her claw-like grip on Tomoya. "You can go back now, but tell them that they got the wrong idea about me."

"Alright." Tomoya straightened his tie. "Fine." Sighing, Tomoya went back into the classroom.

"Everyone, listen up." Tomoya raised his voice. "Kyou Fujibayashi of Class 3-E is bi!"

Clatter! The door behind Tomoya opened. A hand grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him into the hallway.

"Why you!" Kyou pressed Tomoya against a wall. "What was that for?"

"I was just telling them that they got the wrong idea." Tomoya shrugged.

"Why are you saying things that will make me look bad?" Kyou demanded, tightening her grip on Tomoya's neck.

"Hey! I was in the predicament a while ago as well!" Tomoya countered.

"And what will I do if they take that joke seriously?"

"…What do you mean…?" Tomoya asked.

Kyou's face turned slightly red. "I-I'm not really thinking that deep about that."

"…" Tomoya fell silent. _Did she just admit to being bi?_

"Anyway, if you say something like that again, I'll beat you to death!" Kyou threatened.

"All right, all right." Tomoya nodded his head. Clicking his tongue, he returned to the classroom.

"My bad, my bad." Tomoya raised his voice again. "That was a lie just now. The truth is Kyou Fujibayashi of Class 3-E prefers girls over guys."

Clatter! The door slammed open this time. A hand grabbed Tomoya like an eagle's claw and yanked him back into the hallway.

"WHY YOU...!" Kyou had a frightening enraged look on her face. She had both hands around Tomoya's neck, squeezing him into submission. "Do you want to die? Do you want me to tear you into 20 pieces after I strangle you? Huh?"

"Can't…breathe!" Tomoya's arms flailed around. "Just…can't breathe…!"

"Sis…" Ryou entered the hallway and walked up to Kyou. She had tears in her eyes. "Is it true, Sis? What he just said?"

Kyou quickly turned to Ryou. "Why are you believing him too? I-it's a bike! A motorized scooter! We were talking about the bike!"

Ryou turned away from Kyou. Sniffling, she took out a handkerchief and started wiping away the tears on her face.

….

Around the same time…

Sunohara and Takahashi walked through the hallway on the second floor.

"The plan…" Sunohara grinned. "Is psychology."

"Psychology?" Takahashi repeated. "What do you mean by that?"

"Listen carefully." Sunohara lowered his voice. "I was thinking about why she's being so diligent, you know?"

"Yeah, yeah." Takahashi pushed up his glasses. "Go on."

"The answer I've come up with is men." Sunohara explained. "She's also a girl in need. She must be at the point where she's looking for a man. So in short, she came to this school to search for a wonderful boyfriend."

"What?" Takahashi took out his notebook and pen from his pocket. "What gave you that idea?"

"Well, I figured she'd be looking for a smart and promising guy. Uh-huh." Sunohara nodded to reassure himself.

"…" Takahashi scribbled down in his notebook "Don't ask Ryou what sort of guy she's into. Also, don't try to suggest anything about her looking for a boyfriend either."

"Well." Takahashi put his notebook and pen back into his pocket. "She could've done that at her previous school, but keep going."

"Like I said, she should be interested in men." Sunohara continued. "That's her weak point."

"And so, how are you going to do this?" Takahashi asked.

"Like a Venus Flytrap." Sunohara replied. "I will entice her, and once she's let her guard down, I'll make my move."

"…Yeah…that's…" Takahashi sighed. "...I don't know man. Doesn't sound very feasible to me."

"Well, that's not all." Sunohara slapped Takahashi on the shoulder. "I'll need your help here."

"Help with what?" Takahashi asked.

"Don't you know her?" Sunohara pointed at Takahashi. "Give me some hints about how I can tame her."

"Geh…" Takahashi quickly backed away from Sunohara's finger. "I'm not good with this stuff. Don't ask me. Just try something impromptu."

"Tch…" Sunohara retracted his hand. "Come on. Aren't you the one with experience?"

"Not with women." Takahashi shook his head. "I'm about as clueless as you in that department."

"Anyways…" Sunohara continued walking. "We'll figure this out once we're there."

…

Takahashi and Sunohara stood in front of Class 2 – B. Sunohara went inside to call out a girl and asked her to get Tomoyo. After waiting for a while, Tomoyo finally showed up.

"Not you again…" Tomoyo sighed. "You still haven't had enough…?"

"No, I've changed." Sunohara stated.

"What do you mean by that?" Tomoyo narrowed her eyes at Sunohara.

"Why don't you try complimenting her?" Takahashi whispered to Sunohara.

"That hair band suits you." Sunohara quickly blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.

"Doh…" Takahashi placed his hand on his forehead and shook his head. "I can't believe this…"

"Oh, really?" Tomoyo didn't seem to find it too random. "Thanks."

"You know…" Takahashi whispered to Sunohara. "I think it's wrong for us both to die because of this, so I'm going to leave now. Peace on you, my friend."

"Wait!' Sunohara protested, grabbing Takahashi by the shoulder. Takahashi reluctantly remained standing next to Sunohara.

"Uh…That uniform looks good on you." Sunohara uneasily said the next thing that came to mind.

"Really? Thanks. Wait…" Tomoyo shot Sunohara a suspicious look. "You're creeping me out."

"Ah, you must be popular since you're really beautiful." Sunohara said next.

"Dah!" Takahashi slammed his head against a wall. "You're really beautiful? What was that, my friend?"

"What was that just now…?" Tomoyo narrowed her eyes again. "I don't know whether you're honestly complimenting me or making fun of me. I'll go back if you don't need anything."

"Change of plans…" Sunohara muttered before suddenly running straight at Tomoyo. "URYAAAAAA!"

"Hmph!" Tomoyo quickly delivered a barrage of kicks into Sunohara chest. Sunohara went flying towards Takahashi as Tomoyo's last kick connected.

"Woah!' Takahashi caught Sunohara, causing both of them to collapse to the ground.

Sunohara quickly stood back up. "Damn it!"

"Gah…" Takahashi also rose to back to a standing position. "Sweet mother of mercy…Hey, Sakagami-san!" Takahashi approached Tomoyo. "How about a quick exchange of blows with me?"

"…" Tomoyo gave Takahashi a weary and exasperated look.

"It'll be legitimate self-defence." Takahashi offered.

"…Fine." Tomoyo sighed. "Whenever you're ready."

Takahashi threw in a haymaker punch as a distraction. Tomoyo quickly ducked under the punch. Sweeping her leg in a wide arc, she aimed a kick at Takahashi's chest.

"Jackpot." Takahashi's grin widened. Tomoyo made the exact mistake he had hoped she'd make.

Grabbing her leg, Takahashi quickly brought his hand down in three consecutive karate chops onto Tomoyo's ankle, shin, and thigh.

"Ngh...!" Placing her hands on the ground to support her, Tomoyo brought her other leg up. The kick caught Takahashi under the chin.

"Peh…" Takahashi shuffled back. "Impressive. After analyzing your fighting style…" Takahashi returned to an aggressive stance. "I noticed that you seem to favour kicks over punches."

Takahashi dashed forward again, and performed a soccer-like slide tackle. Tomoyo jumped over Takahashi's leg, and aimed another kick at Takahashi's face. Takahashi caught Tomoyo's foot, but Tomoyo quickly brought down her other leg on Takahashi like a guillotine. Takahashi rolled to his right, and narrowly avoided Tomoyo's foot.

"…" Tomoyo stood up straight again, and looked down at Takahashi. "So?"

"Haha…" Takahashi did a back hand spring and landed beside Tomoyo. He tapped her on the shoulder. "Using your hands every once in a while might not be a bad idea. I'm not good at hand-to -hand combat at all, though…"

"You're not as bad as some people that I've seen." Tomoyo glanced at Sunohara.

"Hey, you." A girl suddenly approached Tomoyo.

"…Me?" Tomoyo asked.

"Yes, you." The female student nodded. "Have you joined a club?"

"No, I haven't." Tomoyo dusted off her uniform.

"That's great! Why don't you join the judo club?" The girl asked enthusiastically.

"Guess Sakagami-san's reflexes caught her eye…" Takahashi muttered. "

"No thanks." Tomoyo declined the offer and left.

"Don't say that! Wait up!" The female student chased after Tomoyo.

"I told you I won't join." Tomoyo said flatly. "You're annoying."

Tomoyo and the female student quarrel as they go down the hall.

"S-she really got me there…" Sunohara muttered.

"At the same time though, it does seem that she's gotten into a bit of snag." Takahashi watched Tomoyo and the female student walking down the hallway.

"And by the way…" Sunohara gave Takahashi a light punch in the shoulder. "That last part? That was just showing off!"

"Hey. I practiced for years to pull that off." Takahashi chuckled. "If I don't show it off some time, there isn't much point in it, is there?"

With Tomoyo gone, the two of them had no other choice but to return to the classroom.

…..


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: At Presentiment's Edge**

It was noon now. Tomoya and Nagisa were at the usual place eating bread.

"Will anybody come after two weeks…" Nagisa murmured.

In two weeks, was the drama club's scheduled presentation day. However, the fact that they had used a poster of the Big Dango Family as the recruitment poster worried Tomoya. As a result, Tomoya was at a loss for words.

"Okazaki-san…?" Nagisa called out to Tomoya, noticing his absence of speech.

"Well…" Tomoya looked up at the sky. "It'll be alright…I believe that every single one of the dango you released is sticking on every bulletin board and doing their best."

"Haha." Nagisa smiled, full of confidence. "I guess so, and there's a hundred of them. By the way, Okazaki-san…"

"Eh?" Tomoya shifted his gaze to Nagisa. "What is it?"

"For the meeting…what should I say?"

"…" Tomoya found himself speechless again.

"Okazaki-san?" Nagisa tilted her head.

…_I forgot….She's not the kind of person who can handle such things with ease…_Tomoya sighed.

"Furuakawa…"

"Yes?"

"Let's practice it now." Tomoya stood up.

….

At the drama clubroom…

"Say whatever comes to mind." Tomoya sat down on a chair, waiting for Nagisa, who was standing in front of the blackboard.

Nagisa stood there as though she was conscious of the fact that she was the club president. Chances were high that if the presentation had been set earlier, Nagisa may have asked Tomoya to do it instead.

"Ah, umm…well…" Nagisa found it difficult to say anything. Her hands moved all around, and her eyes were looking in everywhere except at Tomoya.

And then, the bell rang.

"Ah…" Nagisa looked at the clock.

"Hey, Furukawa…" Tomoya stood back up and pushed in his chair.

"Yes?"

"Why are you reforming the drama club…?" Tomoya asked.

Nagisa suddenly clammed up with just this slight amount of pressure from Tomoya.

_If they discovered that the club president is like this, any visiting students would definitely leave._ Tomoya considered the situation. _We're still searching for more interested students, and there's two things in the way. First, the Big Dango Family, and then a club president who's afraid to speak…_Tomoya sighed.

"Well…Okazaki-san?"

"I'll be honest, Furukawa." Tomoya held a hand to his forehead. "You're not good at making speeches. That's why you have to try hard. You'll have to practice how to make a speech for a while…"

"O-okay…" Nagisa's head bobbled up and down. "I'll do my best!"

….

Later, in the hallway…

"Tomoya!"

When Tomoya turned around, he found Kyou's smiling figure. It appeared that the bike incident had finally died down.

"Yo." Tomoya greeted her.

"Where did you go?" Kyou asked.

Tomoya shrugged. "On some boring adventure."

"Hmm…" Kyou gave a strange smile. "Could it be…this?" She showed Tomoya her little finger.

"It's not like it's anything illicit." Tomoya stated, crossing his arms.

"Are you tired?" Kyou let her hand fall back down to her side.

"Unexpectedly…" Tomoya leaned against the nearby wall. "I actually helped someone out."

"Huh?" Kyou gave Tomoya a disbelieving look. "Am I supposed to laugh?"

Tomoya was indifferent. "Yeah…go ahead."

"Ahahahahahahaha!"

"Hey, don't laugh!" Tomoya snapped.

"What? You sure have problems, telling me to laugh and then getting pissed off when I do. Oh…" Kyou remembered something. "In regards to Takahashi-san, you're going to that airsoft game he's organized, right?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah…" The game had been scheduled to take place in two days; the fact that Kyou and Tomoyo would be attending still unnerved Tomoya slightly.

"So…" Kyou had a strange smile again. "Youhei is going too, huh?"

"What's with that smile?" Tomoya wore a frown in opposition to Kyou. "You're not thinking anything bad, are you?"

"Oh, no, no…" Kyou shook her head while smiling. "Just looking forward to it, that's all."

"Ah, that reminds me." Tomoya turned to face Kyou. "In regards to Takahashi, I do believe that he's taken a liking to your sister."

"Eh?" A surprised look appeared on Kyou's face. "Is that true?"

"Uh-huh." Tomoya nodded. "Or so he's told me."

"Hmm…" Kyou paused to think for a moment. "Well, Ryou told me that he was in the same class as her last year when I asked her."

"Yea, so I heard. You didn't know about him?"

"No." Kyou replied. "I only knew about him after he talked to me that time I came into your classroom."

"Hmm…" Tomoya leaned back against the wall again.

"Say…" Kyou tapped Tomoya's shoulder. "What sort of guy is he like?"

"Well…" Tomoya recalled his experiences with Takahashi. "The guy seems to be nice, usually formal, always caring. A bit of a wisecracker at times, but from what I can see, he's also overly conscious of other people's feelings and well-being. Like this one time when he thought he made Sunohara angry, he had a pale look on his face for a good four hours. There was also this morning when he went to go help you."

Kyou scowled at Tomoya. "On a side note, don't say anything about my bike again if you know what's good for you."

"Yea, yea." Tomoya waved a hand to dismiss Kyou's threat.

"Ahem." Kyou cleared her throat. "But yea, all in all, this Takahashi is a pretty likeable person?"

"Yeap. He looks like the type who'd be a dependable boyfriend." Tomoya affirmed.

"So…" Kyou became lost in thought again. "Maybe I ought to get him and Ryou together then…?" She muttered to herself.

"You say something?" Tomoya asked.

"Nothing." Kyou shook her head.

Tomoya decided to enter his classroom. Kyou followed behind him.

The first person to greet him was Sunohara. "Huh? Welcome back."

"What…you were in here?" Tomoya sat down at his desk.

"He's not alone. I am here too, my friend." Takahashi strutted over to Tomoya's desk as well.

"Nice greeting." Sunohara said bitterly. "That's like saying that I shouldn't be inside the classroom."

"Well, you shouldn't be, should you? You're an eyesore." Tomoya laughed.

"Hey, hey…" Takahashi pointed his finger at Tomoya like a gun. "That's uncalled for."

"You just add to the amount of carbon monoxide, don't you? Even weeds would prefer oxygen." Kyou added.

"What a horrible thing to say!" Sunohara complained.

"Ah, Fujibayashi-san." Takahashi bowed. "It's good to see you."

"Ah…Yes…" Kyou found herself caught off guard once again by Takahashi's formality.

"Wait a minute!" Sunohara pointed his finger at Kyou. "What are you doing here?"

"And just what's wrong with my being here!" Kyou retorted.

"No, um…well…" Sunohara stuttered. "The bell…rang…so I think you should be heading back…"

"The final bell hasn't rung yet though, has it?" Kyou reminded Sunohara. "Saying something that stupid shows what kind of guy you really are."

"Hey, Fujibayashi-san." Takahashi pushed up his glasses. "I'd appreciate you not making such insinuations about my friend."

"Ah…" Kyou looked to Tomoya for help. Her face asked "What should I say?"

"We're just joking around." Tomoya went in Kyou's place. "Don't take this stuff so seriously."

"Serious or not…" Takahashi turned to Tomoya now. "It is neither polite nor civilized to make such remarks about your peers."

"And what do you mean by 'stupid?'" Sunohara demanded.

"Aren't you a water flea?" Kyou asked.

"I'm a plankton!' Sunohara shouted back.

"…" Takahashi sighed. "You just totally ruined the point of me stepping in for you."

"…Hey water flea, what's happening there?" Tomoya joked.

"Huh? Say what? Ah..!" Tears fell from Sunohara's eyes. "I actually replied to that…!"

"Point proven." Takahashi took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

"Never mind that, just answer the question. Everyone seems to be crowding around that seat over there…" Tomoya motioned towards a desk near the front of the classroom.

"There?" Takahashi turned around. "Oh, that's Ryou-san's seat."

"Fujibayashi's seat?" Tomoya scanned the crowd of students. "Is she doing a presentation?"

"Yeah, well…I'm sure it's her fortune telling." Kyou observed the students crowding around Ryou's desk. Most of them were girls.

"…Fortune telling?" Tomoya echoed.

"It's popular as always." Kyou remarked.

"I did say…" Takahashi took out his notebook and pen. "That Ryou-san should continuing pursuing her hobby in fortune telling. It's a gift of sorts."

"Are you saying that our class rep is over in that crowd?" Sunohara asked.

"Yep." Kyou nodded.

Takahashi scribbled down in his notebook "Purchase Tarot Cards ASAP. No rain checks."

"Hmm?" Kyou looked over at what Takahashi was writing. "What's this?"

"Nothing." Takahashi quickly closed the notebook and pocketed it along with his pen. "Just a personal note."

Kyou got a decent glimpse of the first part of what Takahashi wrote, but didn't make a comment about it.

"Is she really that good at telling fortunes?" Tomoya asked Takahashi.

"Well…" Takahashi began.

Sunohara finished the statement for him. "Although she doesn't look like it, she's really good."

Dong!

"Ouch!" Sunohara rubbed the top of his head. "What the hell are you doing?"

Kyou's fist hovered in front of Sunohara. "I won't forgive anyone who insults my sister."

"I was praising her!" Sunohara pushed away Kyou's fist.

Dong!

"Ouch!" Sunohara covered his head with both hands this time.

"Your grades suck, don't they?" Kyou asked.

"They are a bit on the failing side, aren't they?" Takahashi asked Sunohara.

"How come you know about that?" Sunohara demanded, grabbing Takahashi by the collar.

"Ah…" Takahashi gently pried Sunohara's hands off of him. "In your room, I found a stack of papers with bad grades under your desk."

"D-don't I have any privacy at all?" Sunohara backed up a few steps.

"Aren't you the same when you come to my place?" Takahashi crossed his arms.

"Ah, that's right. Hey, you loser." Kyou beckoned to Sunohara.

"Who are you calling a loser?" Sunohara shouted.

"Fujibayashi-san…" Takahashi raised his hand again. "Again, I remind you to not be so harsh in your choice of words."

"Ah…Yea…" Kyou nodded quickly before turning back to Sunohara. "Do you want to check out Ryou's fortune telling?"

"Eh?" Sunohara pointed to himself with a dumb look on his face. "Me?"

"Both Tomoya and Takahashi-san have had their fortunes read plenty of times." Kyou nodded.

"That does remind me…" Takahashi muttered to himself while scratching his head. "That fortune about meeting someone…hasn't quite happened yet."

"Hmmm? Yeah, sorta." Tomoya didn't catch what Takahashi was saying.

"So, what kind of fortune telling are we talking about here?" Sunohara became somewhat interested.

"It's fortune telling using playing cards." Takahashi held up a joker in his hand.

"There's no way I'm believing this crap." Sunohara grimaced. "And where did that joker come from?"

"I carry it around with me." Takahashi tossed the card back into his pocket. "It has its uses. That aside, Ryou-san says some pretty distinct things. I'm fairly confident you're going to have a good reading."

"Really?" Sunohara examined the crowd of students again.

"Yeah, sure." Kyou assured.

"Okay…I guess I'll give it a go then." Sunohara, with his hopes high, marched over to Ryou's desk. Kyou and Tomoya smile as they watched him.

"Hey, Kyou." Tomoya faced Kyou, keeping the same smile.

"What?" Kyou also did the same.

"I think I finally understand your sister's fortune telling." Tomoya said.

"You're right."

"Hmm…" Takahashi watched Sunohara with degree of anxiety. "I hope he doesn't do anything too stupid."

"No matter what, it'll probably be really interesting." Kyou nodded.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Tomoya asked Kyou.

"I can say the same of you." Kyou replied.

Sunohara left off, as the three of them give him a burning glance.

"Hey! Move it, all of you!" Sunohara pushed people around and went in front of Ryou. He then sat down in a chair with a loud thud.

"It's playing cards again, huh?" Takahashi noted.

"Yep." Kyou nodded.

"So, she's not used to tarot cards?" Takahashi asked Kyou.

"Well, she doesn't have tarot cards." Kyou explained.

"Yea, I know that. What I mean is does she know how to use them?" Takahashi clarified his question.

"I wouldn't know." Kyou shrugged. "I've never seen her using them before though. Why?"

"Just needed a FYI." Takahashi took out his notebook and pen and scribbled down beside his first note "Instruction manual may also be necessary."

"…" Kyou leaned over to see what Takahashi was writing. This time, Takahashi didn't notice until it was too late.

"…Could you not look at what I'm writing please?" Takahashi quickly shut his notebook.

"Hmm?" Kyou smirked. "You're buying tarot cards?"

Takahashi's heart skipped a beat. He pushed up his glasses in a calm manner. "As a matter of fact…Yes, I am."

"So you're into fortune telling too?" Kyou pressed Takahashi with questions.

"I…uh…well..." Takahashi began to sweat. "No…It's actually not for me…"

"Oh?" Kyou's smirk turned into a scary looking grin. "And just who might that someone be?"

"Dah…I…um…" Takahashi started stuttering. "It's…for a friend…and I…uh…"

"Hey, what's the matter?" Tomoya asked.

"Didn't you hear?" Kyou smiled while pointing at Takahashi. "He's buying tarot cards for a friend of his."

"Oh?" Tomoya turned to Takahashi and gave a cat-like smile as well. "Who is it?"

"…" Takahashi didn't answer. He quickly put away his notebook and pen, and turned away.

"Oh, come on…" Kyou said in a teasing voice. "What's there to be ashamed of? Everyone buys gifts for their friends."

"…Can't tell you." Takahashi muttered.

"Come again?"

"I said…" Takahashi turned around to face Kyou. His face was completely red. "I can't tell you."

"Oh, really?" Kyou's eyes glittered. "Why not?"

"Because…uh…" Takahashi gave a nervous laugh. "My life will be in imminent danger if I do."

"From what?" Tomoya asked.

"Ah, you know…" Takahashi waved his hand in a circle. "An individual who will seek to shorten my life."

"Ahahahaha! Listen!" Sunohara's triumphant voice bailed Takahashi out of trouble. While Kyou and Tomoya were poking fun at Takahashi, they had forgotten about Sunohara.

"The hopeless clown has returned." Tomoya said mockingly.

"Clown?" Sunohara echoed. "What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing, never mind. So what happened?" Tomoya leaned forward in his seat.

Takahashi breathed a sigh of relief. "Let's hear it."

"Yeah, it's awesome!" Sunohara did a fist pump. "Your hardships will end from now on. You're going to start a new life and find love. You'll meet someone that's bound to you by the red string of fate. That's all. I'm definitely going to be blooming!" Sunohara was laughing, completely satisfied with the fortune.

Takahashi on the other hand, hung his head. "This means more work for me, huh?"

Kyou and Tomoya glance at each other. They both tap Sunohara on the shoulder.

"Hmmm?" Sunohara looked at the two of them. "What?"

"Good luck." Tomoya gave Sunohara a thumbs up.

"Your fate is in your hands." Kyou nodded.

"I don't really know what you're talking about, but thanks!" Sunohara gave Kyou and Tomoya a thumbs up and a radiant smile as he looked back at them.

"…I pity him…" Kyou murmured.

"Yeah." Tomoya and Takahashi said that at the same time.

"Hmm? Did you say something?" Sunohara asked.

"Nope, it's nothing. Nothing at all." Kyou smiled to reassure Sunohara.

"Oh yeah, that's right. I gotta go to the bathroom. Are you coming, you two?" Sunohara gestured to Tomoya and Takahashi.

"Go by yourself." Tomoya replied.

"I'm fine as is." Takahashi looked away from Sunohara.

"Aw come on." Sunohara tried again. "We're friends, aren't we?"

"There is nothing you can do if I don't feel like going to the toilet, right?" Tomoya countered.

"Agreed." Takahashi nodded. "You can't force us to go for no reason."

"Okay, I'll go by myself then." Sunohara left, proudly accepting his apparently good fortune.

"…The start of a new life with love…huh?" Takahashi looked at both Tomoya and Kyou. "Sounds like something I'd very much like as well."

"Oh yea." Kyou snapped her fingers. "Is there someone you like?"

"Geh…" Takahashi started sweating again. _Just as I thought that I was safe._ He took a few deep breaths. "Yes, there is."

Kyou turned to Tomoya. "How about you?"

"What's with this all of a sudden?" Tomoya asked.

"Just wondering." Kyou replied.

"Just wondering…?" Tomoya repeated. "Well, I'm not going out with anyone at this school. Going out with a guy like me would certainly attract the teachers' attention."

"Hmm…" Kyou thought about something. "Is that why you're not going out with anyone? Because you're worried about that?"

"Not really, no." Tomoya leaned back against his chair and stretched. "It's just that I haven't found a girl I like."

"If you did, would you go out with her? Well, if you found a girl you liked, would you go out with her?"

Tomoya gave that question serious consideration. "I guess it depends."

Tomoya's reply made Kyou think for a bit. "Yeah, that's true. If a guy rejects a girl who's fallen in love with him, I'd definitely feel sorry for her." Crossing her arms, Kyou agreed with herself.

"Why did you ask us that just now, though?" Takahashi asked.

"Hmm? No reason. So." Kyou put Takahashi back onto the spotlight. "You said you had someone in mind. Who is it?"

"Ah…" Takahashi hid his face. "That…well…" He mumbled to himself.

"Come on, just say it." Kyou patted Takahashi on the back. "I won't tell anyone."

"Uh…" Takahashi's face took on a deep scarlet hue again. "Its…well…complicated…"

"Come on man." Tomoya sighed. "I thought you said you liked Fu-"

Takahashi leaped over a desk to silence Tomoya; he covered Tomoya's mouth with his hand. "DO…NOT…SAY IT…" He pleaded. "I…DON'T…WANT…TO…DIE…"

"Mmmph!" Tomoya pushed Takahashi off of him. "Alright, alright!" Tomoya wiped his mouth.

"Hmm? Tomoya, you know?" Kyou inquired.

"Well, I have a vague guess." Tomoya told a half-truth. _It's your sister he fancies._

"Tell me later, okay?" Kyou flicked her hair.

"Okazaki-san…" Takahashi glared at Tomoya.

Tomoya shrugged, and turned away.

"Don't turn away, damn it!" Takahashi grabbed Tomoya's shoulder. "Don't tell anyone!"

"I heard you the first time." Tomoya brushed off Takahashi's hand. "That reminds me. What about you, Kyou?"

"Huh?"

"How about you, do you have someone in mind?"

"Ahahaha…" It was Kyou's turn to look flustered. "What are you saying? It's me you're talking about, you know?"

"Yeah, so what about you?" Takahashi decided it was time for some retribution.

"…" Kyou smiled uncomfortably. "Well, that's okay with me…How should I say this, well, if I wanted to…I could get a boyfriend or two, no problem, right?"

"By adding that 'right' at the end, it suggests that you are avoiding the subject." Takahashi pushed up his glasses and gave Kyou a knowing smile. "And that means you don't have one, right?"

"What are you making that face for?" Kyou's face was faintly flushed red.

"No reason…" Takahashi's smile widened.

"I'm different from you two." Kyou insisted. "It's just that I'm really not interested. We're totally different."

"Don't misunderstand me, since I'm not interested either." Tomoya objected.

"Ahh, geez! If you want to say something, just say it!" Kyou snapped at Tomoya.

"The same goes to you!" Tomoya retorted, standing up from his desk.

Swooosh! Tap tap tap tap tap tap!

"Eh?" The three of them turned to face the front of the classroom. The classroom door had opened, and someone had rushed in with an insane velocity. He then tripped nearby the teacher's desk, making a loud head slide as he fell towards Tomoya, Takahashi, and Kyou. Dust was flying through the air.

Panting, Sunohara crawled behind Tomoya's desk.

"You sure found something new to play. Are you having fun?" Tomoya sat back down in his desk.

"That's not the case!" Beads of sweat were running down Sunohara's forehead as he watched the room's entrance.

"What's wrong?" Takahashi walked over to Sunohara.

"I just bumped into a girl in the hallway just now." Sunohara frantically explained. "She was just passing by! Don't you think its fate? The one I ran into was an exchange student who was eating toast, and she was about to attend a lesson!" He clenched his fist as he said that.

"So…" Kyou gave Sunohara a pitiful look. "What are you trying to say?"

"She was really cute…" Sunohara continued. "Like I said, it's fate! The red string! A new life!"

"Bollocks…" Takahashi muttered and stood in front of Sunohara like a bodyguard. "I knew this sort of lunacy would happen."

"Uh, we don't get it." Kyou said. "Takahashi-san, do you get it?"

"I don't get what he's going on about." Takahashi took off his glasses and unbuttoned the outer part of his uniform. "But I know what's going to happen next."

"I mean your sister's fortune telling!" Sunohara yammered on. "It has to be the red string of fate. So I flirted with her."

"And what did you do?" Kyou asked.

"I hugged her out of the blue." Sunohara confessed. "And when I did that, she suddenly screamed and cried. And then—"

"You're an idiot." Tomoya cut off Sunohara.

SLAM!

The door suddenly opened violently. Takahashi licked his lips. "As I had predicted. This is bad...Hmm…" He reached into his pocket, and grasped the grip of his Desert Eagle.

Standing at the doorway, was some third year rugby member. It was evident that he was really pissed off.

"Eeek!" Sunohara shrieked and ducked down behind Takahashi.

"Hey, did some blond dickhead come running in here!" The rugby team member demanded. "He's quite the asshole for suddenly grabbing my girlfriend!"

"H-hide me!" Sunohara pleaded.

Takahashi nodded. Kyou and Tomoya however, simultaneously pointed to Sunohara.

"Aha, there you are!" The rugby team member stomped towards Sunohara.

"You guys are demons!" Sunohara cried in horror.

"Let's go have a chat in the bathroom for a bit!" The rugby club member seized Sunohara by the collar.

"…" Takahashi's hand shot out and gripped the rugby team member's hand.

"What are you doing?" The rugby team member glared at Takahashi. "Why are you getting in the way?"

"Regardless of his crimes…" Takahashi glared right back at the rugby team member. "You've no right to settle this with violence. Fighting is prohibited in this school."

"Wait…" The rugby club member released Sunohara and gave Takahashi a hard stare. "That hair…You're the kid who beat up Adachi!"

"Just you wait." Takahashi released the rugby club member's hand as well. "He threw the first punch in that case. I acted in self-defence. Even so, this case and that case are completely unrelated."

_Well, minus the fact that Youhei started both of them with a rugby club member._ Takahashi thought.

"…" The rugby club member glared at Sunohara, and then back at Takahashi. "I ought to punish you as well for hurting my teammate!"

"Now, now." Takahashi raised both hands. "What do you gain from –GAH!"

The rugby club member punched Takahashi in the stomach, cutting him off mid-speech. He then seized Sunohara again. "I'm letting you off easy this time!" He told Takahashi.

Coughing, Takahashi grabbed the rugby club member's hand again. "Don't…cough!...You…Dare…"

"What? Haven't had enough?" The rugby club member kneed Takahashi in the stomach.

"GUH!" Takahashi fell back against a desk. Coughing and wheezing, he decided to resort to extreme measures.

Quickly, before the rugby club member could grab Sunohara again, Takahashi pulled his Desert Eagle out of his pocket. With only a millisecond to aim, he targeted the hand that was reaching out to grab Sunohara's collar.

BANG!

The sound of the CO2 discharging echoed through the classroom.

"Argh!" The rugby club member clutched his right hand, which now had a small red mark on it. There was a bit of blood coming out as well.

Just like last time, Takahashi quickly slipped the airsoft pistol back into his pocket before anyone could see it. The sound of the gun firing was loud enough to silence all the students in the classroom.

"What is going on here!" A teacher appeared in the door way. The teacher 's gaze fell onto Takahashi, who was still leaning against a desk with a coughing fit, and then the rugby club member who was holding his hand.

The teacher quickly ran over to Takahashi and the rugby team member. "What in the world are you two doing?"

"He…cough!" Takahashi tried to explain. "Got…into…cough!...a dispute with classmate…cough! cough!"

"That's enough." The teacher stopped Takahashi. "Don't try to say anything else. Fujibayashi!"

"Y-Yes sir!" Kyou faced the teacher.

"What happened here?"

"Well, you see…" Kyou started to explain what had happened with Sunohara and the rugby team member.

In three minutes, the teacher had both the rugby team member and Sunohara sent down to the guidance counselor's office to sort the issue out. Takahashi had been spared the same fate, since no one had noticed his sleight of hand.

"His hardships will end now, huh…" Tomoya watched Sunohara leaving the room with the teacher.

"It probably means his hardships will end once he's dead." Kyou sighed.

"Yeah…" Tomoya and Kyou watched the open door for some time.

"Damn…cough!" Takahashi was still recovering from the brief altercation.

"Takahashi-san…" Ryou knelt down beside him and offered him a Styrofoam cup. "Try drinking some water."

"Thanks…" Takahashi gulped down the water quickly.

"What was that loud sound though?" Tomoya asked Kyou.

"I have no idea…" Kyou frowned. "It came out of nowhere."

"Ah…" Ryou was about to say something, but Takahashi's facial expression pleaded to her to remain silent about it.

"Remember…" He whispered to Ryou. "It'll be bad…cough!...for my academic standing. Please, Ryou-san…"

"Okay…" Ryou took the Styrofoam cup. "Would you like some more water?"

"Hey, uh, everyone." A teacher entered the classroom. "Class is starting."

"I guess that answers it…cough!" Takahashi tried smiling a bit. "Thanks though."

Within a minute, Kyou left the classroom, and everyone went to their respective seats.

…


	15. Fragment 2

**Fragment 2: Echoes from the Past**

"Well, this'll do…"

Takahashi put his saber back onto his wall. He had just spent about a half hour sharpening it. He took a quick look at the clock. 10:36 PM.

"I got some time left…"

It was the same day that Sunohara had randomly visited his room. In fact, Sunohara had just left a few minutes ago.[1] Takahashi stacked his notebooks neatly on his desk. At the moment, he was contemplating whether or not to go to bed or not. However, someone else decided for him.

Knock, knock.

"…? Who is it?" Takahashi opened the door.

"Good evening." A postman stood outside. "I came to deliver this to you." He handed Takahashi a letter.

"Ah…" Takahashi bowed. "Thank you."

The postman nodded, and then left. Takahashi promptly shut the door, and sat back down in his chair. He examined the letter. On the envelope, the words "To Takahashi Mirao" could be seen. Takahashi flipped the letter around a few times, to make sure there wasn't anything else there. He then ripped the top of the envelope off, and began to read the letter.

**"To Takahashi,**

**Hey, it's been a while. This is Ayane. You remember me, right?" **

"…Yes…." Takahashi rubbed his eyes wearily. Feelings of anguish, regret, and sadness suddenly flooded into him. "I remember now…"

Though he had previously failed to recall it, Takahashi remembered now. This was the girl who had slapped him in the face that day after the fight with that other student.[2]

"After all this time…" Takahashi took off his glasses. "What do you want?"

"**I couldn't write anything to you right away, because I didn't know your new address. I just found out a few days ago. I wanted to ask how you were doing. It's been a long time since we've had any contact after all." **

"Yes…it certainly has been." Takahashi muttered.

"**I also wanted to know another thing. Why did you suddenly transfer schools? It seemed so sudden. I was actually quite surprised. Your friends here miss you, you know?"**

"Do they now? What friends might you be referring to?"

"**I know this may be a bit sudden, but I really just wanted to chat with you again.**

**Ayane Yamazaki."**

Takahashi read the last of the brief letter, and shook his head. "It's been three years since we've had any sort of contact, and this is all you have to say to me?"

Putting on his glasses again, Takahashi briefly considered tearing up the letter, but ultimately decided against it. If Ayane sent him a letter, Takahashi had the comfort of knowing that at the very least she still cared about him. Fumbling through his pocket, he took out his pen, and ripped out a loose-leaf from his notebook. After taking some time to think about what he should write, Takahashi's hand began to move in a mechanical fashion.

"**Dear Ayane,**

**Hello there. It has indeed been a while. Things have been okay on my end. School isn't too bad, and my studies seem rather promising. I don't know what I'll do after high school though, but I'm considering being a police officer now."**

Takahashi paused again. He tried to think about what would be the best way to word an explanation for his sudden departure.

"**With regards to my school transfers, it was a decision I made. I deemed that the school no longer seemed to suit me, and so I decided to transfer to another school. It was you who convinced me of that. You remember that thing that happened with that student that day? That was the catalyst. To be honest, up until now, I couldn't really even remember your name. Only what happened that day. I could NEVER forget that." **

Takahashi stopped his pen. It seemed a little harsh to say that. After briefly struggling with his reasoning, he decided to continue writing.

"**It's all I can really say at this point. I hope you've been doing well at school.**

**Sincerely,**

**Takahashi Mirao."**

Satisfied with the letter, Takahashi fished out an envelope and a stamp, sealed the letter inside the envelope, and applied the stamp. After writing "To Ayane Yamazaki" on the envelope, Takahashi made a trip to the apartment's post office and dropped off the letter.

Takahashi returned to his room and sat back down on his chair with mixed feelings about what he had just done. Regardless, Ayane suddenly writing to him certainly caught him off guard. It was a rather unexpected blast from the past.

"It's almost like something is trying to prevent me from forgetting that horrible mistake."

Takahashi remembered pretty well how things worked out after that; though it hadn't been obvious before, Takahashi's tendency to constantly pick fights with "bad" students ultimately earned him enmity from the entire student body in his grade. To Takahashi now, that entire playing hero act seemed like something foolish now.

"If only I could've done it as well as you could…"

The person who inspired him to try and be a hero didn't make such a mistake.

…..

_Back in those days, I was weak. I was always bullied by the other kids. Not only because I wore glasses, but because I wasn't very strong, and I couldn't stand up for myself. But one person changed me. That one person stood up for me, spoke for me when I had no voice. Since that day, I've also wanted to become like that for someone else._

7 years ago, in the last year of elementary school…

"Haha! How do ya like that?"

"Ngh…" Takahashi wiped the blood off of his mouth. His glasses lay on the ground by his side.

The bully grabbed Takahashi by his shirt collar, and pummeled him with another massive punch. The impact of the punch sent Takahashi back another two meters.

"Hehe…" The bully looked down on Takahashi triumphantly. "Take a hike, loser! Buzz off!"

Turning his back, he crushed Takahashi's glasses under his foot before he marched off.

"Ah…!" Takahashi quickly crawled over to the remains of his glasses. The lenses were shattered, and the frame was crushed.

A few tears fell from his eyes as Takahashi slowly picked up the frame. "My father bought me theses…" He muttered bitterly.

School had already ended a few hours ago. That's why the bully didn't pull any punches. The teachers weren't around to stop him anymore. Takahashi slowly got to his feet. Everything was a blur around him. He couldn't see much without his glasses. Walking around the schoolyard, he eventually reached the main gates. His father was waiting there.

"Hey…" Takahashi waved to his father dejectedly.

"Takahashi?" His father ran over to him. "What happened? Are you alright?" Takahashi's father knelt down, and quickly examined Takahashi's wounds. He then gently rubbed the bruise on Takahashi's cheek.

"Some boy punched me…" Takahashi sniffled. "I couldn't stop him…My glasses…" Takahashi held up the frame of his glasses, now twisted and bent beyond repair.

"It's alright…" His father patted him on the head. "Let's go home. Mommy's waiting."

Takahashi nodded silently and followed his father.

…..

_This sort of thing had been happening since the 5__th__ grade. I was probably an easy target for others. Despite what my parents would try to do to stop it, nothing worked. The teachers weren't my bodyguards, and my father, no matter how much he wanted to, couldn't stand beside me all day._ _Because of that, I had to try my best to avoid the bullies._

A few days later, in the school's music room…

"Heya!"

Startled, Takahashi squeezed his eyes shut and turned around, raising his flute to protect him.

"Hey, it's just me."

Takahashi opened his eyes. Instead of a bully, a girl with shoulder-length purple hair and a white hair ornament on the left side of her head stood before him.

"Oh, sorry…" Takahashi lowered the flute and sighed in relief. "What's the matter?"

"I wanted to ask what you what you were doing in gym glass." The girl stuck out her tongue. "You just sat on the sidelines. Why didn't you try to join the rest of the class?"

Takahashi shrugged, trying to avoid the question. "No real reason. I just didn't feel like playing."

"Oh?" The girl grinned and gave him a friendly punch to the shoulder. "You sure you weren't just trying to avoid having to run?"

"Haha…" Takahashi returned a smirk. "Partially, I guess. That reminds me. What instrument did you get?"

"That thing…" The girl pointed behind her to a glockenspiel. "It's a xylo…something or other."

"How do you play it?" Takahashi walked over to the instrument, and tapped a metal piece on it.

"Sort of like whack-a-mole? Haha!" The girl took up two sticks with black balls attached to the end of them, and started methodically hitting the metal pieces on the instrument. Though at first it seemed rather random, eventually the girl played a melody that Takahashi recognized instantly.

"That's the song of the Big Dango Family, isn't it?"

"Haha, yea!" The girl spun around the mallets in her hand. "It sounds pretty, doesn't it?"

"Indeed." Takahashi clapped his hands together and smiled. "You're amazing."

"It's nothing. I bet you could play it on your flute."

"I can." Takahashi raised his flute to his mouth.

Moving his fingers into the right position, Takahashi played the song on the flute. Though it was a bit choppy, the melody still sounded about right.

"Not bad, not bad." The girl showed him a thumbs up. "If you keep practicing, I'm sure it'll sound even better!"

"Alright, everyone!" The teacher's voice got everyone's attention. "We're getting started!"

"Okay, I'll talk to you later!" The girl quickly rushed back to her seat. Takahashi also took his seat.

….

_That girl was different from me. She was really popular with everyone. The teachers, the students, they all liked her. She was the sort of person I wanted to be. I never knew why she bothered talking to me in the first place, but regardless of the reason, I'm glad she did. _

_That day in the music room, the teacher announced that we would all be performing songs in groups. She said that we should get into groups and rehearse together as soon as possible. Everyone else got into a group right away. But I was left alone. No one came near me. It was like I didn't exist at all. It felt so suffocating. That had been the breaking point for me. I couldn't take it anymore, and I stopped coming to school for a few days. My parents decided that it would be best if I got a break too. _

The week after…

It was after classes now. Takahashi stayed in his room, curled up in a ball on his bed. At home, at least he didn't have to endure the beatings that his peers always gave him. As far as he was concerned, there really wasn't a point in being at school. A single tear drop rolled down his cheek.

"If this is how it will be from now on…" He whispered to himself. "I don't want to go to school ever again. I might never even smile again."

He remained on his bed for a long time, unmoving. After a while though, his mother opened the door to his room.

"Takahashi, there's someone here to see you."

"What…?" His neck creaking, Takahashi slowly raised his head.

"Hey!" A face peered into his room. It was that girl again. Her hair ornament shook a little as she stepped into the room and waved at Takahashi. "I came here to see you."

"Ah…" Takahashi bolted upright. "…What…?"

"Now, now, Takahashi…" His mother smiled warmly. "That's no way to greet a guest."

"No worries!" The girl beamed. "I'm sure he's just surprised."

Takahashi nodded slowly. "I guess so."

"Well, I'll leave you two alone for a while." With that, Takahashi's mother closed the door and left.

"How did you know where I live?" Takahashi asked.

"Ahaha!" The girl gave a mischievous grin. "I asked the teacher for your address. It didn't take much. Well, first things first." The girl set down her back pack, and took out a few pieces of paper. "This is the homework we've had for the past few days." She handed them to Takahashi.

'T-thanks…" Takahashi scanned the papers over quickly, and place them on the nearby desk.

"Now, the more important thing!" The girl then pulled out a glockenspiel and two mallets from the back pack.

"Whoa…" Takahashi got off his bed and stood up. "Why'd you bring that here?"

"The teacher wanted me to partner up with you." The girl winked. "So I figured we should perform the Big Dango Family's song."

Takahashi was speechless. He could suddenly feel a lump in his throat. Tears were forming in his eyes.

"Hey now, what's the matter?" The girl laughed, and patted Takahashi on the shoulder. "Are you so scared about the idea that you're starting to cry?"

"No, not at all." Takahashi quickly took off his glasses wiped his eyes. "It's the best idea I've heard all day. Thank you, uh…Fu…"

"Haha." The girl poked Takahashi in the forehead. "Just call me Kyou. Alright then, let's do it!' Kyou picked up her mallets.

Takahashi jumped to his feet and fetched his flute from a nearby drawer. And just like that, the boy who thought he would never smile again was already smiling.

…

_It was strange at the time. I didn't think that there was anyone at school who cared about me. I was wrong. Despite the fact that everyone would probably ridicule her for it, she still decided to hang around me. It seemed like in her, I had finally found the friend that I had so desperately needed at the time. We practiced for a while, and eventually got everything to work. Because of her, I felt comfortable going back to school again. Though we didn't see each other much outside of our practice time, it was enough to get me going again._

The day of the performance…

"So, are you ready to go?" Kyou watched Takahashi pack up his flute.

"Yea, all set. Let's do this." Takahashi did a fist pump.

"That's the spirit!" Kyou laughed.

Currently, they were both outside Takahashi's house. After Takahashi was ready, the two of them began walking to school. On the way there, the two of them conversed for a bit about the performance to make sure that it would go flawlessly. Just outside the school gates though, they met a few other students.

"Hey, Fujibayashi-san."

Unfortunately for Takahashi, these were the kids that bullied him regularly. Takahashi was sorely tempted to hide behind Kyou, but he figured that that would make him look even weaker.

"What do you want?" Kyou crossed her arms and made a serious face.

"Aren't you afraid you're going to get loser cooties from him?" The biggest of the three kids said mockingly.

"It's none of your business." Kyou replied with a hint of steel in her voice. "Get lost."

"I don't get you." The bully sighed in an exaggerated fashion. "The teacher told you to stay away from him? Why didn't you? Aren't you ashamed to be around him?"

"What…?" Takahashi looked at Kyou in utter disbelief.

Upon hearing those words, Kyou gritted her teeth. With remarkable speed, she kneed the bully in the groin. She then pulled a dictionary out of her back pack and smashed it into his face as he fell back.

"Wah…" The bullies shrank back from Kyou's menacing figure.

"No, I'm not!" Kyou took out another dictionary. "I'm not embarrassed at all!" Kyou gave the other two bullies a chilling stare. "Who's next?"

The bullies turned tail and ran away as soon as the threat had left Kyou's lips.

"That's right, you better run!" Kyou shouted after them. She then turned back to Takahashi, her face completely red. Takahashi couldn't tell if it was from anger or embarrassment. "Well? Come on, let's go."

….

_Going out of her way to help a guy like me. It seemed to totally go against the norm. Most people would've listened to the teacher and ignored me. She didn't. Kindness like hers, you never forget. Even though I can't remember her name and appearance, I definitely remember what she did for me. She was the one who kept me going. If it wasn't for her, I'd still be weak. I wouldn't be where I was right now._

With that last bit of reminiscence, Takahashi returned the pen to his pocket. He smiled sadly. "If only I remembered her name…"

Takahashi had always berated himself for not being good with names. He could hardly recall Ayane's name, and they had only been apart for three years. That girl and him had been apart for seven years. It was going to be a long shot.

"Either way…" Takahashi checked the clock now. It was 11:09 PM. He'd obviously been sitting at his chair for some time now. "I'll hit the sack and call it a day."

And so, he shut off his lamp, and did just that.

…

[1] Details explained in the last part of Chapter 12

[2] Details explained in Chapter 9.

**Afterword from the Author:**

For those of you interested, I have made a rough sketch of Takahashi's appearance.

It's on my DeviantArt Account, name: AkiratheWhite.


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: Storm's Prelude**

"Hey, Okazaki."

Before the lesson was over, the homeroom teacher called Tomoya. Tomoya ignored him.

"Didn't you hear me, Okazaki?"

_You're persistent._ Tomoya turned to face the teacher with a dubious look. "What is it?"

"Get Sunohara back here. He needs to get the assignment sheets. Go look for him."

"Me?"

"Yea, you, Okazaki." The teacher scratched his head. "I figured you'd know where he was."

"I don't." Tomoya feigned ignorance.

"Well, in that case, I guess you'll be called out."

"Eh? To where?"

"The staffroom of course." The teacher snorted. "Don't you realize how many times you've been late to class?"

_Huh…What a depressing situation._ Tomoya stood up. "Alright, I'll go find Sunohara." He turned and began to walk away.

"Hey, Okazaki! I didn't mean this very moment!" The teacher called after Tomoya.

Tomoya simply pretended not to hear him, and exited the classroom.

Takahashi observed the rather strange exchange. "Sir…" Takahashi walked up to the teacher. "Do you want me to go after him?"

"No, leave him be." The teacher sighed. "He probably won't come back anyways."

"Alright." Takahashi returned to his desk.

However, Tomoya wandered aimlessly. He had no idea where Sunohara was. At this point, he didn't really even care about him anymore.

"I guess I'll go back…" Tomoya turned on his heels and began the long trek back.

…

It was after school now, but Sunohara still hadn't returned yet. Tomoya wasn't worried, but Takahashi was.

"Maybe the rugby guy bagged Youhei after they left the presence of the teachers." Sighing, he reached into his backpack and took out a set of brass knuckles.

Tomoya raised an eyebrow. "What are you going to do with those?"

"Simple." Takahashi put on the brass knuckles and hoisted his back pack up. "If necessary, I'll do some aggressive negotiations."

"Right then…" Tomoya eyed the weapons. "I'm going to head over to the drama club room then. Hey wait, I've got a question for you."

Takahashi's eyes widened slightly. "Yea, go ahead."

"You're on the basketball team right? Why don't I ever see you play in games? I've never heard about you talking about having a game to play."

"Haha." Takahashi flicked his hair. "It's because I'm not a regular. As a matter of fact, I'm a substitute player. I just attend the mandatory practices, and that's it. Suffice to say that none of the regulars get injured often."

_That explains it huh…I guess he just isn't that good at basketball._ Tomoya thought.

"Well, I've got work today, so I'll see you later." Takahashi bowed once before leaving the classroom.

Tomoya followed suit. There were several students making a lot of noise in the hallway just ahead though. Tomoya and Takahashi were walking past them by the side, when someone suddenly grabbed Tomoya's arm.

"Hey, can you help me?" It was Tomoyo. Holding onto her other hand were two students.

"Please join the judo club!"

"I'm asking you as the captain of the men's judo club."

"They're really pushy." Tomoyo rolled her eyes.

Tomoya stepped in between Tomoyo and the Judo Club students. "You're too noisy."

The captain looked at Tomoya. Tomoya returned the glare. Eventually, the captain averted his eyes from the staring contest. "Sakagami-san, let's go somewhere else." He pulled Tomoyo away.

"Hey." Takahashi's voice rang out from behind Tomoya.

Crack, crack!

Takahashi stood beside Tomoya, cracking his knuckles. "You're being a bother, if you can't see that."

Tomoya took the opportunity to beckon to Tomoyo. "Let's go."

The judo captain stopped his feet.

"Let's go." Tomoya called again.

"Ah…Yeah…" Tomoyo nodded. The captain released her hand.

The three of them walked away from the two judo club students.

"I'm impressed." Tomoyo remarked with a smile. "You're both quite brave. He's the captain of the judo club."

"That…" Takahashi pushed up his glasses. "…Is because we're his upperclassmen."

"I see, I forgot about that."

"And, that also means you're our junior."

"Yeah, I guess so." Tomoyo didn't seem to be at all concerned though.

"Anyway…" Tomoya tapped Takahashi on the shoulder. "What happened to your…things?"

"Ah." Takahashi took the brass knuckles out of his shirt pocket. "I had to hide them. This school doesn't have paper thin security, you know."

"Thanks again, you two." Tomoyo stepped back. "I guess I'll be going home then."

"Is it alright if we leave you alone now?" Tomoya glanced at the far end of the hallway. "What if they come back?"

"It's alright, I'll run home."

"Okay. Best of luck to you, Sakagami-san." Takahashi bowed.

"Thanks." Tomoyo turned and true to her word, picked up her pace.

"Well…" Takahashi put on the brass knuckles again. "Time to go hunting."

"Right then, off you go." Tomoya nodded.

"Adieu, my friend." Takahashi turned at the next corner and descended the stair way.

Tomoya quickly made his way to the drama club room. Nagisa was already there waiting. She smiled as she saw Tomoya enter the clubroom. "We'll practice it now, okay?"

"We're not going to practice acting, alright? We're practicing for your speech at the meeting. Actually, on that note…" Tomoya set aside his bag. "Let's go to the reference room quickly."

"Eh? What for?"

"We can find something that'll help us with practicing speech." Tomoya motioned to the doorway.

"Hmm…I guess we can try."

"Let's go then."

The two made their way to the first floor reference room. Tomoya opened the door and peeked inside. It was quiet and uninhabited.

"Let's get searching then…" Tomoya walked up to a shelf and started scanning the names of the books from their spines. Nagisa did the same at a different shelf.

"Do you think we'll find something here?" Nagisa took out a book and flipped through the pages.

"Maybe." Tomoya's finger ran across the spine of one book, wiping dust off of it.

After a few minutes, the door suddenly opened.

"Ah…" Tomoya heard a small voice. He turned towards the doorway.

"Welcome." There was a girl standing at the doorway. "Is there something you need?"

"…Some hot coffee would be nice." Tomoya shrugged, placing his order.

"Oh, I love coffee." Nagisa replaced the book she had taken out back onto the shelf.

"No problem! Please have a seat over there." The girl pointed at two seats in front of the desk in the center of the reference room.

Tomoya and Nagisa complied, and sat down.

A while later…

"Here you go." The girl placed two steaming cups of hot coffee in front of Tomoya and Nagisa. There was even a saucer underneath both cups.

Tomoya raised the cup to his mouth and took a sip. "Wow, it's really good."

"Yes, it's really good!" Nagisa concurred with a smile.

"I'm glad you like it." The girl bowed. "My name is Yukine Miyazawa."

"Oh, I'm Tomoya Okazaki." Tomoya set down the coffee, and then motioned to Nagisa. "This is Nagisa Furukawa."

"So, you're Tomoya Okazaki and Nagisa Furukawa. So I take it that this is your first time here, isn't it?"

"Yes." Nagisa nodded. "How do you do?"

"So, wait." Tomoya looked at the cup of coffee. "Are you the one who's overseeing this room?"

"I do my best to anyway." Yukine sat down in front of the two. "I just love this place."

"If I remember, this used to be the library room, wasn't it?"

"It still is, Furukawa-san. All of the books that don't get read much are kept here in this place for safekeeping. I guess you could call it the second library room. We even have old videos, records, cassette tapes - even microfilm."

"Haha." Tomoya took another sip from his coffee before continuing. "I was under the impression this room had been turned into some kind of café."

Yukine giggled upon hearing that. "Sometimes I get all sorts of people who come and visit me in this room."

Tomoya made a strange face in response.

"Is something wrong?" Yukine noticed the change in Tomoya's face.

"No. I was just thinking that there are some really unique characters in this school…no, in this town I'd say."

…

After finish their coffee and thanking Yukine, Tomoya and Nagisa went back to the clubroom.

"Well, let's get your speech down pat then." Tomoya sat down on a nearby chair.

"I think I've got a good idea now, so I should be able to do it." Nagisa stood ready.

"But, I won't be able to help you out with what you should say. I don't know what this club does, so I'm here to find out."

"Me too." Nagisa suddenly looked less confident. "I just want to do a drama play, but I actually don't know anything about it."

Tomoya's jaw almost dropped down to the ground. _The drama club president's bombshell announcement. _

"…Hey, Furukawa…"

"Yes?"

"Why do you want to be in a drama play?"

"Because I like it."

"Which part of it?"

"I think it is fun seeing everyone's performances. I was always absent during school arts festivals when I was little…That's why I thought to myself, I'll definitely join the drama club. And I'll do my best until my third year. But there wasn't any drama club during my first and second year… And I took a long break from school during my third year…"

"Alright, alright." Tomoya cut her off. "That's enough."

_In short…_Tomoya sighed. _Her passion towards drama is because she admires people who do it. Putting everyone's strength together in order to achieve one goal. Even now, she still wants to fulfill that unfulfilled dream." _

"It's just that I like it." Nagisa said once more. She let out a small sigh, bringing both hands to her chest. It seemed the speech had tired her out.

"…You pass." Tomoya smiled. _I don't think I'd be able to walk away after seeing her like that._

"What?" Nagisa looked surprised.

"Your speech just now was good. Even though it's short, you still managed to say the things you wanted to say the most."

"Are you…" Nagisa tilted her head. "Trying to cheer me up?"

"Not at all. I'm telling you the truth. I'm just saying what's on my mind." Tomoya rubbed his eyes. "There's just one small problem though…"

"What?"

"That is, will you be able to say the same thing again?"

"Yeah, you're right."

"You're not used to being put under pressure, are you?"

"No, I'm not." Nagisa admitted sullenly.

Tomoya's mind went into another loop as he suddenly realized another problem.

"Why do you like drama?"

Following that question again, Nagisa did her best going over her speech.

…..

"My answer is because everyone is doing their best…and also, I think it's great…Won't you work hard with us?"

That just summed it all up. Despite her choice of words, Nagisa's eager speech had impressed Tomoya.

"Question!" Tomoya raised his hand.

"Yes, go ahead."

"What sort of drama play are you planning?"

"What sort of drama play…?" Nagisa's voice faltered. She pondered for a while.

Seeing this, Tomoya decided to give her a prompt. "Like a fairy tale, or a musical, or something for adults. There are all kinds, aren't there?"

"Really?" Nagisa's surprised response.

"I'm out of here." Tomoya stood up and started walking away.

"Ah! Please wait!" Nagisa tugged on Tomoya's arm.

"Then, just give me an answer, okay?"

"Sure…well…something that everybody would like."

_That's about it, huh?_ Tomoya decided to try another prompt. "So do you mean comedy?"

"It's not that we want to make you laugh…But it's not like we won't make you laugh…"

"Maybe something that will make us cry then?"

"It's okay to cry, but I guess it's fine if you don't…" Nagisa's voice sounded totally unconfident now.

"Which is it then? Will it make us laugh or cry?"

"J-just about both!"

"Ah…fine then…" Tomoya shrugged.

"Huh? Was that okay?"

"Yeah, since you answered. I'd get worried if you didn't say anything though. If you're eager to answer, won't it go well?"

"Yes." Nagisa held both hands to her chest and smiled. "It would make me happy if everything went well."

After all that, the practice continued for an hour. Nagisa's voice was beginning to wear out, so ultimately the practice was ended.

…

And Tomoya and Nagisa walked home together. Just ahead on the road, Tomoya noticed a familiar person. Sunohara.

_What? What's he doing here now?_ Tomoya quickly looked left and right. Beside him was Nagisa. Sunohara was the last person he wanted to see when he was with Nagisa.

"Let's go, Furukawa." Tomoya grabbed Nagisa's hand and pulled her along.

"Ah!" As Tomoya looked behind him, he noticed that something was wrong with Nagisa. She was on her knees. Apparently, she was really tired. _I suck…_Tomoya sighed.

Students on their way home were watching them. It made Tomoya really want to run ahead by himself. "I'm sorry…" Tomoya knelt down in front of Nagisa and offered his hand to her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, it's nothing…" Nagisa took a few deep breaths. "I just got taken by surprise. Sorry about that…"

Nagisa held onto Tomoya's hand as he helped her up. "Is your knee okay?'

"It's a little red." Nagisa rubbed her knee gently. "But it's not bleeding so it's alright."

"Asking for mercy? Well done." Sunohara was suddenly standing right beside Nagisa. "She's buying."

"Shut up. You go that way." Tomoya pointed behind him.

"Why? This is a chance. Weren't you going to do that anyway?"

"Well, it's alright if it's just juice." Nagisa nodded to tell Tomoya that it was fine with her.

"Lucky!" Sunohara whistled.

"What do you like? Is tea okay?"

"How about some clear soda? It looks good."

"Okay, sure." Nagisa took out some coins. She seemed happy to be able to treat others to drinks. "Well, what about you, Okazaki-san?"

"Nothing for me."

"Okay." Nagisa headed over to the nearby vending machine.

"…Okazaki-san?" Sunohara said aloud. "Why does she know your name?"

"Who knows?"

"Hmm…." Sunohara gave Tomoya a knowing grin.

Nagisa picked up the juice from the vending machine and ran back to Tomoya and Sunohara. "Here it is."

"Great, thanks." Sunohara took the drink and opened it immediately. He started drinking it.

"Well…I'm Nagisa Furukawa. Okazaki-san's always helping me out. You're Okazaki-san's friend, right? Well, when I was going to reform the drama club, he helped me with it. He's not a member though, since I'm the only member. And I'm the club president too." So went Nagisa's one-sided introduction.

_You're forgetting that Takahashi pledged his membership too…At the same time, I can't believe she's telling him all that._

"Really…?" It seemed that it was taking some time for Sunohara to process everything that Nagisa had just said.

"Yup, that's right…" Tomoya exhaled heavily. No point in keeping it a secret now.

"I didn't see you yesterday after class, so this is what it meant…" Sunohara chuckled. "And a drama club president, too…I'm surprised to know that you have any interest in club activities even though you hate them. I thought you couldn't stomach club activities."

"Eh…?" Nagisa looked at Tomoya. Tomoya suddenly had a serious urge to smack Sunohara in the face.

"First of all, we get along with everyone." Sunohara continued, noticing Tomoya's silence. "Don't make such a scary face. Anyways, I'm full from the soda, so maybe I should be going."

Throwing away the empty soda, Sunohara walked away.

Sigh…

"Okazaki-san, about what that friend of yours said…" Nagisa murmured. She seemed obviously worried about Sunohara's statement.

….

At the park near Nagisa's house…

"Well…" Tomoya decided to explain. "I was in the basketball club in middle school. I was a regular, but I got into a big fight with my father just before the match in my third year. Since I was injured, I wasn't able to play in the match. So I ended up quitting after that."

"Then, I'd like to help." That was the word that Tomoya was looking for. "Let's get you on track to being popular again. Just like me." Nagisa covered her face to hide her embarrassment.

"I see." Tomoya averted his eyes from Nagisa, and looked up at the sky. "That would be cool…"

_Three years ago, my school life was going smoothly as the captain of the basketball team. I even got a sports recommendation, and I was about to continue playing at senior high. But that avenue was suddenly closed off. And it was all because of that fight with my father. It began with a stupid quarrel about my shoes as I entered the house…Our quarrel took a turn for the worse…and we got into a fight…My right shoulder hit the wall really hard…Although it really hurt, I managed to gather my strength and head to my room, closing the door behind me. But it was already too late when I finally saw the doctor…I was no longer able to raise my right arm. Never again. _

…..

At about the same time, Takahashi was still at the bookstore working.

"Gah...still another hour, huh?" He gave his watch an exasperated glare.

After searching for Sunohara at the school for nearly half an hour, wasting time like nobody's business, Takahashi still couldn't find Sunohara and nearly ended up being late for work. Takahashi shelved another book from the crate of books in front of him. It was a tedious process, shelving new books. Fortunately, at this time of day, there weren't many people in the store now.

"Hey, Mirao." A co-worker approached Takahashi.

"Yes?" Takahashi gently placed down the book in his hand and stood up-right like a soldier.

"Let's switch for now. You take over the register."

"Right then." Takahashi used his foot to nudge the crate of books towards his co-worker. "Have fun."

Takahashi took to the cash register. Standing behind counter, he allowed himself a big yawn. "About 50 minutes left, huh?"

It was always like this during work. Mechanical motions from one end of the store to the other, with the occasional customer asking for help with something. In such a situation, a bookstore seems hardly different from a library.

Takahashi's eyes wandered the bookstore. Amongst the rows of bookshelves, something caught his eye. It was a girl with the Hikarizaka Private High School uniform. Takahashi's eyes focused on her dark-blue coloured hair and child-like hair ornaments. She seemed somehow familiar. The girl was standing in front of a bookshelf that was covered with technical and academic books that even Takahashi dared not read. She was holding a book and reading it. She was reading at a surprisingly fast speed, which made Takahashi wonder if she was really reading the book in earnest. Her hand stops as she suddenly reached a page. She appeared to be thinking about something. Then, she took out a pair of scissors.

Takahashi bolted towards her upon seeing the deadly-to-paper tool. "Hey!" Catching her shoulder, Takahashi turned the girl to face him.

"…"

There appeared to be some delay in the girl recognizing that Takahashi was there.

"You can't cut books that don't belong to you." Takahashi gently lowered the hand holding the scissors. "These are quite expensive books."

"….." The girl tilted her head and gave Takahashi a quizzical look. "…Are you a bully?"

"Uh…" Takahashi withdrew his hand. "Actually, I'm a bookstore employee who protects the integrity and quality of our products."

"..."

"Anyways…" Takahashi pointed at the scissors in the girl's hand. "What are those?"

"Scissors." The girl looked at the tool. "It is used for cutting something like paper or cloth. It's made of stainless steel but the handle is covered by plastic. In English it's scissors, in French it is ciseaux, in Italia-"

"In Italian it is forbici…" Takahashi cut her off by raising his hand in the air. "The point is you shouldn't wave around those in a bookstore. People will get the wrong idea."

"What should I do then…?"

"Uh…" Takahashi pointed at the opened scissors. "Move those away from the books."

"…Are you a bully?"

"Don't say such a thing. I'm just doing my job. It's a crime to cut books in a bookstore, you know?"

.

…Snip, snip.

"HEY!" Takahashi seized the girl's hand. "I SAID NOT TO CUT IT!"

"I was just pretending to cut it."

"Oh god." Takahashi grabbed onto a nearby bookshelf for support. "You almost gave me a heart attack there."

"…Will you be okay?" The girl finally seemed worried now. "It was only a joke."

"I'll be fine…" Takahashi steadied himself. "Wait…I know you."

"Eh…?"

"You're Kotomi Ichinose, right? You're a legend at our school, you know."

"…" No response from Kotomi; only a puzzled stare.

"You are Ichinose-san, right?"

"When you speak to me, call me Kotomi-chan."

"Haaah?" This remark left Takahashi scratching his head. For someone who ranked in the top 10 for national exams, she was a bit of an oddball. It was just then that Takahashi noticed a customer staring at them. "Never mind, just put the scissors away for now…"

Nodding obediently, Kotomi put the scissors back into her book bag.

"By the way, do you always talk like that with other people?"

Kotomi shook her head. "I don't talk with people that much."

_She's quite frank._ Takahashi pushed up his glasses. "But you know that I'm also a stranger to you, right?"

A blank look from Kotomi. "Who are you?"

"Ah, forgot to introduce myself." Takahashi bowed. "I am Takahashi Mirao. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

"May I call you Takahashi-kun?"

"Uh, I guess…Anyways…" Takahashi checked his watch. There was still a good 45 minutes left in his shift. "I have to get back to the register. Please refrain from cutting any books while you're here. And see you at school. Probably."

"Yes." Kotomi turned back to the book she was reading, and Takahashi went back to the counter.

….

"Oh boy, what a day…" Takahashi sighed, watching the setting sun. "Ichinose-san sure is a strange one."

It was about 6 o'clock, and Takahashi was heading home now. Takahashi took out his notebook.

"Right, so the game in is two days, and I still have to find a shop to buy tarot cards…" Takahashi scanned over the most recent pages of his notebook. "Also need to update my journal today…Hmm…"

When Takahashi was about three blocks away from the apartment building where he lived, he put away his notebook.

_I've got too many enemies…_He placed his right hand into his pocket and gripped his Desert Eagle.

"I know you're there. Come on out."

A few seconds later, someone stepped out onto the sidewalk behind Takahashi. Takahashi slowly turned to face the person.

"…"

It was a male student, about the same age as Takahashi. The thing that tipped off Takahashi to the fact that this was bad news was the student's uniform. It was a traditional black uniform that belonged to Takahashi's former school. Takahashi stared hard at the student's face, and realized who it was.

"Well…It's been a while, hasn't it? How has your arm been?"

The student returned a chilling glare. "Better…now that I'll make you pay for what you did!"

Takahashi laughed. It was nearly maniacal. "You make me pay? You're the one who attacked another student! I just stepped in, that's all."

"SHUT UP!" The student charged at Takahashi.

Takahashi sidestepped the student, and kicked him in the back, sending him face first into the sidewalk. "My, this is worse than I thought..."

The student slowly picked himself off the ground. "Why you…" He wiped a bit of blood off his forehead.

"The better question is how you figured out where I lived. I figured that Ayane-san was the only one who knew."

"DAMN YOU!" The student threw a punch at Takahashi's face.

Ducking the punch, Takahashi jabbed his opponent in the stomach. Then, grabbing the student's outstretched arm, Takahashi judo flipped the student over his shoulder.

WHAM! The student hit the pavement hard, and made a sound like a sack of rice hitting the ground.

"Gah…" The student laid on the ground, unmoving and groaning.

Takahashi knelt down beside his defeated opponent. "There's a funny thing about anger. Let it consume you, and soon enough, you'll lose sight of everything. Of course, it took me a while to learn that too."

The student took a weak swipe at Takahashi's head. Takahashi intercepted the fist and squeezed it tightly. "You're not listening."

"Why…" The student growled. "Why is there still such a difference between us?"

"It's simple." Takahashi released the student's hand. He stood up and looked down on his opponent with a wide smile. "I don't fight for myself."

Takahashi chuckled and turned away. "Anyway, you'll come to learn of the reason sooner or later. But for now, you should just stay home."

"Screw you!" The student bolted back into a fighting position, and tried to kick Takahashi's back.

Takahashi spun around and grabbed the student's ankle. He then brought his hand down like a hammer on the student's shins, followed through by ramming a palm press into the student's forehead.

"Take a seat, son." Takahashi bowed to the student, who now laid flat on his back. "And the rest is silence." Turning away from his fallen foe, Takahashi pulled out his Desert Eagle and raised it up high into the air. He squeezed the trigger.

BANG!

…..


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: Metal Storm: Part 1**

Sunday had finally arrived. It was the day of the Airsoft Gun match. At the moment, Tomoya was standing in front of the train station, still feeling uneasy.

"12:15 already…where are they? The heat's going to get to me sooner or later…"

Looking around the station, no one had shown up. Was it because he was late or something? Tomoya kicked the ground in boredom. Surprisingly for a Sunday, there were very few people on the platform. In fact, there seemed to be only three other people asides Tomoya.

About another seven minutes passed before someone Tomoya recognized showed up.

"Hey Okazaki! Glad to see you were able to make it." Unfortunately for Tomoya, it was Sunohara.

"How did you get here before Takahashi?"

"Eh…" Sunohara turned and looked around. "That's odd…he was behind me just a second ago…"

"We're not going anywhere without him…" Tomoya took out the business card that Takahashi had given to him. "I don't know where this place is."

"You don't need to worry about that." Takahashi marched up behind Sunohara. "Sorry, I was just making sure the ladies didn't lose track of us."

No sooner had Takahashi said that, Kyou ran up to the group, with Ryou in tow.

"Hey!" Kyou gave Tomoya a beaming and energetic smile. "Glad you see you made it!"

"…This is what they call déjà vu, huh…" Tomoya sighed.

"Hey, where's Sakagami-san?" Takahashi looked behind Ryou and Kyou. "Wasn't she with you two just a moment ago?"

"Eh…" Kyou turned around to look.

"Yea, déjà vu…"

"Sorry about that." A girl's voice came from behind Tomoya.

"Eh?" Tomoya did a complete 180, and found Tomoyo standing in front of him.

"Uh…" Takahashi looked back and forth between Tomoyo and the empty space behind Ryou and Kyou. "How did you get over there?"

"Is there a problem?"

"Yea uh…" Takahashi scratched his head in confusion. "Weren't you behind us just a second ago?"

"I overtook you when you were waiting for those two. Didn't you see me walk past you?" That was Tomoyo's calm reply.

"How did you get behind…Never mind…" Takahashi decided that it was fine just to let it go. "Since we're all here now, allow us to board on the next train that arrives…"

Takahashi did a quick survey of the group. Everyone was dressed casually, sans Sunohara. Tomoya and Kyou were wearing blue jeans and a T-Shirt, Ryou was wearing a pink sleeveless top and a white skirt, and Tomoyo was decked out in what appeared to be gray sweatpants and a gray field jacket. Sunohara, probably because he was too lazy to do something about it, was still wearing the school uniform.

"By the way, Ryou-san…" Takahashi poked Ryou on the shoulder.

"Y-Yes? What is it?"

"I don't think that kind of clothing is good for this sort of event. Do you not have any other clothing?"

"Ah…" Ryou looked at her skirt in a dejected manner. "Sorry…I didn't know…"

"Hmm? What's the matter?" Kyou asked.

"I think that clothing might be a problem." Takahashi explained. "Even PE clothing would be more accommodating in my opinion."

"I think she'll be fine." Kyou laughed, patting Ryou on the shoulder. "I won't let anything bad happen anyway. It shouldn't matter too much."

"Alright then…" Takahashi shrugged. "We'll see when the time comes."

….

"So, Okazaki…" Sunohara whispered.

They were on the train now. The Airsoft Facility was a few stations away, so the six of them decided to settle down permanent seating plans for the trip there a back. The seating arrangements were: Sunohara and Tomoya, Kyou and Ryou, and Takahashi and Tomoyo.

"What is it?" Tomoya stared out the window at the greenery that the train was passing by.

"This is our big chance, right? We've got to take down Kyou and that other violent girl."

"What big chance are you referring to? You getting used as target practice?"

"Of course not!" Sunohara replied angrily. "I won't lose in something like this. A gun game is no challenge."

"If it's no challenge for you, it'll be a stroll in the park for the others." Tomoya eyed Takahashi, Kyou, and Tomoyo. "You'll get wasted if you're not careful."

"That's why I wanted to make a truce with you."

"A truce?" Tomoya wasn't really interested in any truce this guy was going to whip up.

"Yea. Takahashi said that we were doing free for all and a team match right? So we'll team up during the free for all, and then take them all out while they're busying themselves with each other."

"I've never heard such a bad plan before." Tomoya waved Sunohara off. "That's like a double kill just waiting to happen."

"Come on Okazaki. Two heads are better than one, right?"

"It's only at times like this you pull some sensible quote out of the air. No is no."

While Sunohara and Tomoya continued their argument, Takahashi was drawing out a map.

"To make it fair, the people who are not on my team for the team match will be given a map. This will ensure that map familiarity will not be an advantage for us."

On his notebook, Takahashi sketched out a diagram of the arena that they were using; a few houses here and there, some hills, and even trees. He then took out a pencil from his pocket, and shaded in a few parts to indicate a difference in elevation.

"There's buildings in there?" Tomoyo peered over Takahashi's shoulder.

"Yes. It just so happens that they assembled a few house like structures using wood, though sadly they aren't quite like modern houses. They're more like cabins than anything else, sort of like the ones you'd find in jungles in Vietnam. It doesn't really simulate urban warfare, but it can act as cover."

"That sounds interesting…" Kyou appeared to be suddenly lost in thought.

"Um…" Ryou raised her hand.

"You don't need to raise your hand. We're not in kindergarten." Takahashi smiled, and refrained from laughing.

"Oh…I was just wondering…" Ryou pointed at one of the houses on Takahashi's map. "What is it like inside those?"

"It's like a one room cabin." Takahashi tore out the page, and put away his pencil and notebook. "There are electric lights inside in case it gets dark, but it mostly gets natural lighting."

"Ah, okay."

"So, let's make teams for the team match right now. By the way, if you lose this map, I'm not drawing you another one." Takahashi snapped his fingers at Tomoya and Sunohara. "Hey, we're making teams, so get your rear in gear."

"Yea, we're listening. I'm not walking over there." Tomoya turned to face Takahashi to indicate that Takahashi had his attention.

"So…" Takahashi reached into his pocket, and pulled out six playing cards. "I have here, three aces, and three kings. We will each draw a card, and the ones with the same cards are on a team. Everyone get that?"

Everyone nodded an affirmative.

"Then let the draw begin." Takahashi held out his cards in a fan. Everyone else drew a card from the fan.

…

The group now stood inside the Airsoft Facility. The teams were decided: Takahashi, Ryou, and Sunohara on one team, Tomoya, Kyou, and Tomoyo on the other team. Takahashi was at the front counter, paying the fees for arena usage.

"Well…this is quite an arsenal." Sunohara examined the nearby walls.

Pistols, shotguns, rifles, marksman weapons, thrown weapons, claymore mines, and combat equipment were covering the lobby wall. It was like every weapon ever invented was here. Tomoya even spotted a World War II era trench gun on the wall.

"We have to try some of these out!" Kyou set her sights on a silver sniper rifle on the wall adjacent to the front counter.

Ryou simply remained silent and spun around wide-eyed, examining weapons from one wall to the next. It probably seemed like a chaotic sea of mixed weapons to her.

"…And we want to book the "Overgrown" arena for two games. Six people and access to all gear. Here's my premium membership card." Takahashi's voice slowly trailed over to the rest of the group.

"This might be interesting." Tomoyo glanced at a small compact machine pistol. "I've never used a firearm before."

Tomoya looked around with his arms crossed. _With this many weapons here, I'm going to get a headache deciding which one to use_.

"Alright, our fee is settled, so let's get down to the nitty gritty." Takahashi clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "Right now, we get to select our gear and weapons. Here are the ground rules: Each person can only take one grenade: A fragmentation or a smoke. Each person may carry three weapons maximum, the kind of weapon does not matter. Lastly, all personnel must wear protective goggles at all times. Facial masks and vests are not mandatory but recommended. With that out of the way, let's suit up."

With those opening words, the group split into their teams and headed for the walls of weapons.

…

"Does this seem about right…?" Ryou held up a UMP .45 sub-machine gun.

"Hmm…Since this is your first time doing airsoft, that should be fine. The Heckler and Koch UMP has been a reliable weapon since its first introduction." Takahashi gave the gun a quick physical examination to make sure it was in working condition.

"Hey, Takahashi-san." Kyou called over from another wall. "Are we allowed to use these?"

Takahashi shook his head. "Those are high powered weapons. They hurt. I promised your sister that I wouldn't let people use those…"

"Ah heck, it's for the sake of the match right?" Kyou laughed haughtily. "To steal a quote from someone, nothing in life is as exhilarating as to be shot at without result."

"Wah-wah-wah…Sis…?" Ryou looked quite frightened now.

"Ryou, don't worry. If some shoots you, I'll empty a clip into their forehead." Kyou's reassurance really didn't sound like much to Takahashi.

"Fujibayashi-san…" Takahashi motioned to Ryou. "I really think you're pushing it with that. I didn't ask her to come here so that she would get hurt."

"Ryou, it'll be fine, right?" Kyou winked, as if to signal something to Ryou.

"…Eh…If you say so, I guess…" Ryou shoulders slumped down, and she had a defeated look on her face.

"Ryou-san." Takahashi handed Ryou the UMP. "If you don't want to, I'll talk her out of it. I don't want you to be out there if you don't want to be there."

"It's alright…" Ryou's voice was like a really weak whisper now. "I…I think I'll manage."

"If you get hurt out there, tell me right away." Takahashi nodded.

"Fujibayashi-san." Takahashi called out to Kyou. "Go ahead then."

"Thanks!" Kyou skipped over to the wall, and began examining guns.

"Hey, Takahashi." Sunohara approached Takahashi and handed a rifle to him. "Does this look like it'll work?"

Takahashi took a hold of the rifle. "The AK-47? A fine Soviet weapon. It was the most reliable weapon back in its time. Its airsoft counterpart should fair just as well." Cocking its bolt back, Takahashi returned the rifle to Sunohara.

"For me…" Takahashi couldn't find anything he wanted at this wall. He joined Kyou at the high power weapons wall. "This…is a weapon."

Takahashi lifted a massive sniper rifle off of the wall.

"Woah…" Kyou eyed the monstrous weapon carefully. "What is that?"

"This is the American Barrett .50 Cal." Takahashi took a shooting position. "One of the best anti-material rifles presently. Not as powerful in airsoft, but still a force to be reckoned with." Kyou noticed that Takahashi was shaking as he held up the rifle. "It is also quite heavy." Takahashi added quickly, before resting the rifle down on the ground.

"Wow…" Kyou tried lifting the rifle. "Seems quite nice. It even has a bipod." Kyou held up the rifle and aimed with it, but her arms were also shaking. "Yea, it is heavy." She chuckled softly before putting the rifle back down.

"Hey, Takahashi." It was Tomoya this time, holding up a M4A1 Rifle. "How does this look?"

Following not far behind Tomoya, Tomoyo approached Takahashi as well. She was holding one Steyr TMP in each hand.

….

After a few minutes of searching for a primary weapon, putting on safety goggles, vests, holsters, and other accessories, the teams now sought side arms. Naturally, Takahashi was the first one to find what he wanted.

"These…" Takahashi twirled two pistols in his hand stylishly. "Are a fine supplement for anyone who uses a sniper rifle. The Glock 18, one of the most well-known machine pistols in the world."

Everyone else just stared at the assortments of pistols laid out in front of them. Kyou was the first to grab hold of a side arm.

"Hey, is this one any good?" Kyou spun the pistol in the air, then caught it and struck a pose like a cowboy.

"Ah, that is a fine choice, Fujibayashi-san." Takahashi holstered his Glock 18s. "That is a modified Beretta 92F, also known by its nickname the "Samurai Edge.""

"Hmm…" Kyou examined the pistol. "I'll take this one then. By the way, you can just call me Kyou."

Takahashi suddenly froze up. A confused look made its way to his face.

"Eh?" Kyou looked up from her gun in alarm. "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing…Sure thing." Takahashi took a deep breath in. _Why does that line sound so familiar?_

Just then, the other four turned simultaneously to face the two de facto team leaders. They all held up M1911A1 handguns.

"For some reason, we all ended up picking this one." Tomoya mused.

"Don't let coincidence fool you!" Takahashi grinned. "That is the Colt M1911A1, one of the oldest handguns to still be used today. It wouldn't have gotten this far if it wasn't good."

"I'll take your word for it." Tomoyo holstered her side arm.

Sunohara, Tomoya, and Ryou followed suit, although Ryou took longer because she was having trouble with her holster strap.

"Right then." Takahashi slung the Barrett .50 Cal over his back. "We're playing an objective based game. I've marked two bomb sites on the map. There will be an attacking team and a defending team. The attacking team will be given a bomb, which they have to plant at either one of the sites. Once at the site, the player must hold down the red button for 7 seconds, which primes the bomb. Once the bomb is planted, an announcement will be made via radio to all players. The defending team must then make its way to the bomb and defuse it by holding the red button for 10 seconds. Once the bomb is defused, the defending team wins by default. If either team has no players left, the surviving team wins. Are we ready?"

"Yes." A reply from the entire group.

"Then let's do this huh?" Takahashi turned towards the arena entrance. "There are two entrances. One will take you to the defenders' spawn point, one will take you to the attackers' spawn point. Kyou's team will be defending, and my team will be attacking. There is no time limit. Let the games begin!"

And so, the two teams set off to their respective spawn points.

…..

"So, here's the plan." Takahashi called Ryou and Sunohara over. "We're all going to attack one site. Follow me the entire time. Do not open fire unless you've got my permission to do so. Ryou-san, keep your head down, don't lose the bomb. And Youhei, don't do anything stupid."

"Tch. Don't treat me like a kid." Sunohara readied his AK-47.

Ryou only nodded. While everyone was getting set up, Takahashi managed to find Ryou a combat suit that could be worn over her clothing. At the very least, she wasn't going to get scratches and bruises if she tripped or something.

"Right then. Servitas vitae." Takahashi took out one of his Glock 18s.

The three of them traversed the area slowly. It was quiet, except for the team's footsteps and the occasional animal noise. The arena was rightfully dubbed "Overgrown"; there was vegetation just about everywhere, from bushes, to trees, and even hillsides covered with tall grass.

"Hold up." Takahashi raised a fist in the air to alert his team.

They had just reached a branching path: One path led towards the first set of cabins, while a second path led up to higher ground.

"I'll take the high ground. Youhei, proceed ahead with Ryou-san. Exercise caution. I'll call out targets as I spot them. Check your radios, and switch to channel 11."

"Copy." Sunohara switched his radio to channel 11, and proceeded onto the lower path. Ryou followed closely.

Takahashi sprinted up the other path, eventually reaching a cabin near a cliff. This area was elevated about seven meters higher than the lower path, making it a good position for over-watching. Diving down beside the cabin, Takahashi crawled up to the very edge of the high ground, and set up his sniper rifle's bipod. Removing the cover from the scope, Takahashi peered through the scope, a task made difficult because of his glasses and goggles, and scanned the forward area. Takahashi could see four cabin structures, but could not make out any enemies.

"Forward area clear. Take the left side. There's more cover if you go around." Takahashi spoke into his radio.

After a few seconds of static, Takahashi heard a "Right, I got it." coming back from the radio. Takahashi watched as Sunohara and Ryou went to the left side of the cabins, and proceeded slowly towards the end of the stretch of open space.

"Verify that it's safe when you get to the end of that field. I'll follow up when I get the okay." Takahashi kept scanning around with his scope, trying to see if he could find a glint.

Suddenly, he felt something crawling on his arm. Quickly dropping his rifle, Takahashi smashed his arm against the cabin. As he examined his right arm, he saw the crushed remains of an ant on his forearm.

"Sorry little bud…" Takahashi wiped the ant off. "You scared me there."

"Hey, Takahashi. I think we're safe." Sunohara's voice came from the radio.

"Copy your last. Moving up." Takahashi picked up his sniper rifle. Then, walking just over the edge of the cliff, he slowly slid down to ground level, and then sprinted to the left of the cabins to catch up with Ryou and Sunohara.

"Alright, form up team." Takahashi took point once again.

Walking through more greenery, and passing by a few fallen logs, the team eventually stumbled upon another cabin. This one was much bigger than the four that they had previously seen. There were a few large windows there, but due to the lighting, Takahashi couldn't see if there was anyone inside, and he ordered Ryou and Sunohara to stay hidden within a few nearby bushes.

"Stay low…" Takahashi placed his rifle down, and drew out both of his Glock 18s.

Slowly, he approached the cabin, making sure to keep his head low. As he made his way to the doorway he heard a loud cracking sound.

"Contact!" Takahashi sprinted to the cabin and dived inside it. He quickly scanned the inside. No one was there. "Sniper hidden somewhere outside. Youhei, take my sniper rifle and try to find the sniper!"

Sunohara complied, and took control of Takahashi's Barrett .50 cal.

"Dang it, this thing is heavy!" Sunohara set up the bipod, and looked through the scope, looking for any sign of the enemy sniper.

"Tch…" Kyou pulled the bolt of her Steyr Aug back. "I shouldn't have missed him."

Kneeling down beside a rock on a piece of elevated land behind the cabin, Kyou looked through her scope at the place she had just fired at. Takahashi was nowhere to be found.

"Did you find them?" Tomoya asked via radio.

"I found at least one. I don't know where the others are." Kyou replied, biting her lip.

"Alright, I'll flank them from the right side. Watch my back."

"Got it." Kyou searched the area for more enemies. She couldn't see any at the moment.

While Kyou was busy searching, Sunohara had managed to find the barrel of her rifle.

"Takahashi." Sunohara readied the sniper rifle as best he could. "I see the barrel of a gun from behind that rock directly behind the cabin."

"Okay." Takahashi took a ready stance. "Fire on that rock five times. On my mark…Go!"

Sunohara squeezed the trigger rapidly, firing five rounds directly at the rock Kyou was hiding behind.

"!" Kyou quickly pulled back, and took full cover behind the rock. "I've been found. Tomoya, forget the flanking! Get back to the bomb site!"

With Kyou distracted, Takahashi dashed out of the cabin and headed directly for the ground directly below the area where Kyou was hiding. Takahashi took out a grenade, and pressed the button where the pin of a real grenade would've been. Unlike real grenades, Airsoft Grenades have a very short fuse time. Takahashi quickly threw the grenade directly upwards.

The grenade exploded, creating an air burst. The resulting shower of pellets hit Kyou straight on.

"Ack!" Kyou covered her head, dropping her gun.

"Well, I think that's another notch added for me." Takahashi laughed. "Nice try though."

"Ahaha…" Kyou came out into the open, and jumped down from the rock she had been hiding behind. "You got me I guess…"

"Well, as per our rules, you now must exit the arena and go to the spectator's area. You'll be provided with televisions that broadcast live footage from cameras there. There'll be signs to guide you." Takahashi pointed up over a hill.

"Right then…I'll see you later." Kyou headed off casually in the general direction of where Takahashi was pointing.

"Youhei, Ryou-san, you can move up now."

Sunohara and Ryou eventually made their way to Takahashi, but their progress was slowed due to the fact that they couldn't lift the Barrett .50 Cal alone, so the two of them had to carry it together.

"Ah, sorry about that." Takahashi slung the rifle over his shoulder again. "I won't use this again next time."

"Yea, please don't!" Sunohara was very vocal about his annoyance. "How the hell do you even carry this thing!"

"I manage." Takahashi wiped the water from the grenade that had landed on his hand.

"Takahashi-san, was that my sister just now?" Ryou asked.

"Yeah, but she's fine. Something tells me she won't go to the spectator's area though."

Having survived their first fire-fight, the team pushed forward.

…

At one of the bomb sites, Tomoya was hiding behind one of the three cabins surrounding the bomb planting area.

"Looks like Kyou got taken out." Tomoya radioed Tomoyo.

"Yeah, seems like it."

"We'll each guard one of the bomb sites. If they show up at one of them, double time it to that site."

"Alright."

With that, Tomoya peered out from behind the cabin, and examined the area. Nothing so far.

…

While that was happening, Takahashi's team was exploring the inside of one of the large cabins en route to the bombsite Tomoya was guarding.

"Left side door breach. Stack up." Takahashi, Ryou, and Sunohara all lined up against the left side of the wall next to the entrance to the cabin. "Go."

Takahashi pulled out his Glock 18s, and dashed into the room, searching for enemies. Sunohara followed, also quickly checking the room. Ryou was the last one to enter.

"Clear left." Takahashi muttered.

"Clear right." Sunohara replied.

"Hold on…" Ryou approached a small, muddy round object in the far right corner of the room. "What is that?"

Sunohara also approached it. "Let's shoot it. Stand back."

Takahashi glanced back at the object. That's when he saw trouble Big trouble. The object that Sunohara had taken aim at was an Airsoft Grenade. Takahashi could see that the button had been pushed, but the grenade had not detonated.

"Wait, stop!"

Too late. Sunohara fired into the grenade, and that caused the grenade to explode, spraying airsoft pellets out in all directions.

"YEEEEOOOOOOWWWW!"

Since Sunohara had been so close to the grenade when he shot it, he managed to catch nearly all the pellets that were shot out by the grenade. Ryou was standing behind Sunohara, so none had hit her.

At the bomb site he was guarding, Tomoya heard a faint scream, and noticed a few birds flying overhead, as if fleeing from something.

"That idiot always manages to screw things up, huh?" Tomoya couldn't help but shake his head in pity for Takahashi. "Tomoyo, heads up. They're close to my bombsite. Move to the halfway point, okay?"

"Will do." Tomoyo replied.

Takahashi quickly ran up to Sunohara, checking to see if he was okay. Since Sunohara was wearing the right protective equipment, he didn't suffer any permanent injuries. But that reckless move of his was enough to anger Takahashi.

_If that didn't leave a mark, this will_. Takahashi smashed the butt of his sniper rifle against the back of Sunohara's head with moderate force, knocking him down to the ground.

"Takahashi-san!" Ryou cried out in protest, and knelt down beside Sunohara. "Are you okay?"

Sunohara bolted to his feet and grabbed Takahashi by the scruff of his neck. "What the hell was that for!"

"You idiot!" Takahashi ranted furiously. "What do you think is going to happen when you shoot a live grenade? Now you've given away our position!"

"Takahashi-san, Sunohara-san, please calm down…" Ryou tried to mediate. "It's just a game after all, and we're here to have fun…"

"Alright, whatever." Takahashi snorted. "But Youhei, that counts as a death. So get your rear over to the spectator's area."

"Tch. Fine." Sunohara grudgingly left the cabin and headed for the spectator's area, still rather angry for being bashed in the head.

"Ryou-san..." Takahashi felt bad now for having lost his temper in front of Ryou. "Sorry about that…"

Ryou gave Takahashi a firm look. "We're here to have fun. You shouldn't do something that like to your friends, even if you're frustrated."

_For once, she doesn't sound uncertain_. "Yea, sorry. My temper got the better of me this time." Takahashi wiped off the stock of his sniper rifle.

"It's good if you understand." Ryou smiled upon hearing Takahashi's reply.

"So, how are you finding this so far?"

"Ah…" Ryou's sudden boost of confidence disappeared. "Well…I…uh…it's making my heart race, to be honest. It feels like I'm really in a battle right now. But…it's kind of fun."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that. Let's finish this off this game though, and we can chat later." Takahashi holstered sniper rifle again, and drew out his Glock 18s.

"O-okay." Ryou raised up her UMP again.

The two of them left the cabin, and started moving towards the closest bombsite, which was guarded by Tomoya.

**To be continued in Metal Storm: Part 2.**


	18. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: Metal Storm Part 2**

"Hoh, boy…"

Takahashi took a quick scan of the bombsite. It appeared to be totally desolate.

"There's more cover if we go around." Takahashi set down his sniper rifle. _Better to leave it here than have it be dead weight_.

"I-I'll just follow you." Ryou knelt down beside Takahashi.

"Hmm…" Takahashi did a quick count. Four cabins surrounded the bombsite. Any of them would make a perfect hiding spot for a defender. "We'll go around to the far side. Then, we'll search each of the cabins one by one. Radio me after clearing each one."

"Right…"

Moving around some shrubs and bushes, they slowly approached the cabin on the far side from the left. Takahashi took out both his side arms, and readied them.

"Left side breach. Stack up." Takahashi pointed to the left of the entrance with his chin. Ryou did as Takahashi said, and lined up right behind him.

"Okay…Go!"

Takahashi rounded the entrance, and aimed his G18s. No one was inside. Ryou peeked in from the entrance, and then slowly brought her gun up.

"Clear…" Takahashi lowered his weapons. "Split up and we'll take each take one of the other cabins. And give me the bomb. I can handle it now, without the rifle."

"Ah, sure." Ryou took out the plastic mimic bomb, and handed it over to Takahashi.

"Make sure you radio in the moment you're in the clear."

Leaving the cabin, Takahashi slowly approached the second cabin, while Ryou headed to the right, to search the third cabin. Readying his weapons again, Takahashi took two deep breaths. Then, he leaned into the doorway a bit. A quick glance turned up no enemies. Takahashi then executed a combat roll into the cabin, sprung up with his weapons ready and did a quick 360 degree turn. No one in this room either.

"All right then…" Takahashi put one of his G18s back into its holster, and waited.

20 seconds had past, and Ryou had not given him a radio call. As much as he wanted to call out to see if she was there, Takahashi couldn't risk the noise. The reason he had told Ryou to radio him was to make sure that he had confirmation of whether she was attacked or not. And it appeared that it was more likely the former outcome that had come to pass.

Takahashi left, and approached the third cabin with one G18 out. This time, instead of using the doorway, Takahashi peered in through the window. As he did, Takahashi's eyes were drawn to a UMP lying on the floor. It was Ryou's for sure.

"And that means…" Takahashi pulled out his other G18.

Takahashi vaulted over the window opening into the cabin. A quick search turned up a few pellets lying on the cabin floor, but little else. Slowly, he advanced towards the entrance. Looking outside though, there appeared to be no one around.

_I don't have time for this._ Takahashi went back out through the window opening, and went towards the designated area for setting the bombs; inconveniently, it was practically surrounded by the four cabins. Takahashi took out the bomb, and placed it in the red circle. Holding down the bomb's red button, he primed the bomb.

The loudspeakers in the vicinity announced the news. "The timed bomb has been planted."

Takahashi quickly dashed back into the first cabin he had searched, and slumped down against the window facing the bombsite. About ten seconds passed before he heard the first sign of an enemy. A few snapping branches was as good as an alarm. Takahashi peered out to check on the bomb, and saw Tomoya closing in on the bomb. He was checking left and right to make sure that there was no one around.

Changing the fire mode to semi-automatic, Takahashi blind fired at Tomoya with one G18.

Takahashi missed his shots. This gave Tomoya enough time to retreat back behind the cabin that Takahashi had found Ryou's UMP in.

"Merde…" Takahashi cursed. "I can't believe I actually missed him with that."

Having given away his position, there was little choice now but for a frontal assault. Takahashi vaulted over the window opening, and sprinted towards the second cabin, intent on surprising Tomoya with a blitz. Takahashi turned the corner on the side where he last saw Tomoya. No one was there. Takahashi took this opportunity to set both G18s to automatic fire mode. Slowly approaching the entrance, Takahashi was surprised by a sudden gunshot and a pellet kicking up dirt mere inches away from his foot.

"Okay…" Takahashi quickly decided to abandon all stealth. Turning around, he charged back out into the open, and held down the trigger on one of his G18s as supressing fire. As he made it past the threshold of the cabin, he saw Tomoya crouched down beside the other side of the cabin.

"Got you now!" Takahashi quickly aimed his other G18 at Tomoya and fired.

Tomoya quick-turned back against the cabin and avoided the incoming rain of pellets. Takahashi had no intention of giving Tomoya time to rest. Moving swiftly, he whipped around the cabin and found Tomoya leaning against the cabin wall, reloading.

"It's over, so give it up!" Takahashi prepped both G18s and aimed them at a very surprised Tomoya.

"What?" The magazine Tomoya was holding in his hand slipped out and fell to the ground. "When did you-"

"Never allow your opponent a chance to retaliate in such a situation." Takahashi lowered his guns. "You should've stayed on the offensive when I didn't know where you were. Think of it like basketball. Don't let the other team get the ball if you can keep shooting it. By the way, I'm not allowed to shoot you since I'm this close, but you are technically dead."

"Don't bring up basketball in a gun fight." Tomoya said wryly, standing back up. "Alright, I surrender."

"See you in the specs zone." Takahashi grinned.

No sooner had he said that, Takahashi felt several pellets stab into his back.

"Gah!" Takahashi dropped down to the ground. Rolling so his back was to the ground, he saw Tomoyo emerging from nearby greenery with both TMPs aimed at Takahashi's forehead.

"You let your guard down." Calmly, Tomoyo approached the bomb and defused it.

"Indeed…" Takahashi groaned, and felt down flat on his back. "Looks like I got carried away. Guess you're lucky."

"Or maybe you're just a bit too pompous." Tomoyo had a thin smile. "That was quite the speech you gave."

"At least you let me finish it before you shot me. Haha…" Takahashi picked himself off the ground. "Well then, I better get my rifle before I forget it. By the way, where did Ryou go?"

"Eh, I sent her off to the spectators' zone, but I told her not to make a sound. It makes it more suspenseful that way, doesn't it?" Tomoya reached down and picked up the magazine he had dropped.

"Well, let's call the guys over to the armoury for another round. We're on defense this time, I guess. Oh yeah, give me a hand with this thing." Takahashi beckoned to Tomoyo, pointing at his sniper rifle.

…

"You sure took your time." Kyou crossed her arms and gave the last three survivors an irked look.

"Sorry…" Takahashi and Tomoyo brought the sniper rifle back to the gun stands. "Right here'll do."

The six combatants now stood back inside the armoury, looking for new weapons.

Tomoyo examined the sniper rifle closely. "What is this made from? It's rather heavy for a replica."

"It's full metal. It's like the real thing, minus the different firing mechanism."

Kyou took the same weapons she used in the previous round. She quickly gave everyone else an impatient look. "Well I'm all set. So hurry up."

"Right…" Takahashi's eyes fell upon a single assault rifle. Walking over to it, he picked it up and assumed a shooting stance. "Ryou, how do I look?"

"Ah…You…you look really cool." Ryou clapped her hands together.

"Heh…" Takahashi took a crouching stance. "Gotta love the German guns."

"And, which one does that one happen to be?" Kyou trained her weapon on Takahashi like a hunter aiming for a deer.

"This is the G36C. It's compact size makes it very nice for close quarters combat."

"Hey!" Sunohara snapped his fingers at Takahashi and the twins. "We're all waiting for you now! Are you done yet?"

"Yeah, yeah!" Takahashi stood back up straight, with an apologetic look. "I'm ready. I'll take this gun."

"Good. Now let's go!" Sunohara dashed for the arena entrance like he had rockets strapped to his feet.

"What's with him?" Takahashi scratched his head in confusion. "He rarely is so impatient."

"I…" Ryou watched Sunohara's back disappear past the entrance. "I think it has something to do with what happened last game back in that empty cabin…"

"Oh, with the live grenade and what not." Takahashi rolled his eyes. "Maybe I shouldn't have hit him, but shooting a live grenade? A very dumb move indeed."

"Oh, that explains the scream I heard." Tomoya perked up. "So it was that idiot's fault after all, huh?"

"Well, I'm going to assume that won't happen again." Takahashi turned off his weapon's safety. "Let's do this."

…

The second match went by about as quickly as the first. Rather than being aggressive, Takahashi's team played it safe by having one person guarding each bombsite, with one person, Takahashi in this case, hiding at a point equidistant from both sites. Since it was similar to the strategy that Kyou's team had used, it didn't take long for them to figure it out. The result was that Kyou, Tomoya, and Tomoyo all attacked one bombsite, and by sheer luck, it was the one that Ryou was supposed to guard. Given the difference in skill level, Ryou made a quick exit, and left only Takahashi and Sunohara to deal with the bomb.

"Circle around back." Takahashi approached the bombsite. "All their members are still active. Keep your eyes open for a good overwatch spot."

This bombsite was pretty much out in the open, and was neighboured by many trees and bushes.

Takahashi checked his watch. 30 seconds until detonation. "We have to hurry this up."

Suddenly, Takahashi heard gunfire erupting from Sunohara's location. He sprinted over to investigate. Arriving at the scene, he saw Sunohara hiding behind a tree trunk and Tomoya firing at him with an M4. Sunohara noticed Takahashi's presence, and was about say something. Before he could do so, Takahashi quickly silenced him with a "shush" gesture. Apparently, Tomoya hadn't seen Takahashi, and Takahashi wanted to keep it that way. Sunohara noticed this, and pointed down at his gun. The AK-47 in Sunohara's hands had no magazine inserted into it.

"No ammo, huh?" Takahashi took out one of his G18s. He tossed the gun at Sunohara's feet.

Sunohara seized the gun, and blind fired it at Tomoya. In a few seconds, he managed to empty the entire magazine, and succeeded only in hitting a few rocks and leaves. Thanks to this though, Tomoya was distracted enough that Takahashi managed to move up to a closer position without Tomoya noticing. Takahashi took out a hand grenade, and got Sunohara's attention with it. Tossing his second G18 to Sunohara, Takahashi raised 3 fingers.

"3…2…1!" Takahashi tossed the grenade at Tomoya.

Tomoya jumped out into the open to avoid the grenade, leaving him wide open to Sunohara. Sunohara wasted no time in emptying another magazine, this time into Tomoya. Tomoya dropped down to the ground, but couldn't avoid the pellets. A few seconds later, Tomoya was doing the walk of shame to the spectators' zone.

Sunohara return both G18s to Takahashi. "I had him on the ropes." Sunohara muttered like a child who had his Christmas present taken away.

"Right. On the ropes enough that you'd emptied two G18s magazines in ten seconds, huh?" Takahashi took back his G18s, and slowly inserted a new magazine into each. "I try not to use both of them because they take a long time to reload. Great, we got 19 seconds. Get to the bomb area and defuse the bomb. It's all or nothing now."

Without another word, both of them sprinted to the bomb area. The bomb was ticking, with only 9 seconds left. Takahashi dolphin-dived to the bomb and held down the defuse button. He'd have to hold it for all the remaining time left to defuse it.

"Great, you wasted precious time with that last stunt." Takahashi panicked and fumbled around with the device.

"Why is it my fault all of a sudden?" Sunohara countered, while, from Takahashi's perspective, doing a 360 spin.

"Uh, because you're you?" Takahashi checked the timer. 2 seconds…

BANG! BANG!

BB pellets struck Takahashi in the back of the head and Sunohara's forehead almost simultaneously.

"YEOWCH!"

"GAH!"

Two nearly perfectly synchronized screams of pain followed right after.

"And, chalk up another two in the kill column for Kyou-sama!" Kyou laughed haughtily as she appeared from on top of a tree.

"Well…" Takahashi gave Sunohara an annoyed glance and a gentle shove. "You looked everywhere but up. We were practically game!"

"Why is this my fault again?"

"The cause isn't always the most important thing. It's the consequences that follow that matter." Tomoyo stepped out into the open to pull Takahashi and Sunohara apart like a referee. "You lost, and no amount of arguing is going to change that. So let's just head back."

"Hmph." Takahashi grudgingly stepped away from Sunohara. "Fine. Let's at least get the Free-For-All done before I have to buy you all snacks."

…..

"So we're going to do it like this." Takahashi pointed at a map with his pen. "Same arena we've been playing all afternoon. We walk in, with one minute gaps between us, and after the last person enters, it is free for all; every person for themselves."

The group was now attending a brief pep session Takahashi had arranged.

"Um…I'd like to sit out this game. Is that fine?"

"Uh, sure. I won't make you do this if you don't want to, Ryou-san."

"Well, I'll be waiting in the lobby then. Don't mind me." Ryou bowed, and then walked away.

"Okay…" Tomoya raised his hand. This sort of felt silly, because they weren't in primary school, but Takahashi insisted that everyone who had a question must raise their hand.

"Yes, Okazaki?"

_He dropped the –san…Like a teacher addressing a student…_Tomoya tried to overlook that. "Are we allowed any form of alliance?"

Takahashi cleared his throat. "You are, but remember. This is a free for all; survival is entirely your responsibility. You can make any alliances you want, but remember, only one person can emerge victorious from this match."

"Hehe…" Sunohara let out an eerie laugh from behind Kyou.

"Anyway, now that we're all prepped..." Takahashi put away his pen, pretended not to hear it, and picked a MP5 sub machine gun from beside him. "Let's do this." His bold statement was quickly followed by an HK slap*.

And so, without another word, the five remaining combatants stepped back in the arena for one final showdown.

….

Takahashi already had a destination in mind; the hill beside the cabin that Sunohara had found in the first round would be an excellent place to scope out the competition. Though this time, as with the previous round, he did not carry a sniper rifle, and instead held the MP5 he had picked up during the pep session.

"And…I'm probably screwed since I didn't pick a better weapon." Takahashi sat down cross legged beside the cabin on the hill. "It's a nice view though. Peaceful enough that one could probably take a nap looking at the field and cabins below."

Takahashi sat in silence for a good 10 minutes or so. Before long though, a rustling sound broke his meditation-like pose. Quickly dropping down into a prone position, Takahashi aimed his weapon at the source of the noise: One Youhei Sunohara.

"Oh, it's just you." Sunohara smiled casually. Too casually.

"Yeah, just me." Takahashi lowered his weapon slightly. "How are you doing?"

"I haven't found anyone yet. Want to team up? There's strength in numbers, right?"

Takahashi eyed Sunohara suspiciously. _Let's take the bait and use it against him_.

"Sure. Sit down and let's keep a look out." Takahashi stood up and turned his back to Sunohara.

At this point, Sunohara did exactly what Takahashi expected: aimed his gun at Takahashi's back.

"…What do you think you're doing?" Takahashi asked in a demanding, and silently un-clipped one of his G18s' holsters.

"Winning, of course. You let your guard down, and now you'll pay the price." Sunohara's gun clicked as he leveled it at Takahashi's neck.

"You're still a rookie, aren't you?" Takahashi's voice remained serious. "You made a big mistake. Your safety is still turned on."

"WHAT?" Sunohara quickly inspected his gun.

This was the opening that Takahashi needed. "Psych." Dropping his shoulder, Takahashi turned around and kicked the AK-47 out of Sunohara's hands. Quickly grabbing Sunohara's left arm, Takahashi judo threw Sunohara over the top sharp side of the hill and watched him roll down to the bottom.

"I love it when a plan comes together. Didn't even need the G18." Takahashi whistled a tune to celebrate. Picking up Sunohara's rifle, he slid down the hill to where Sunohara laid flat on his back, eyes wide open in disbelief.

"And uh, for future reference." Takahashi squeezed the rifle's trigger, firing a shot right beside Sunohara's head.

"Eek!" Sunohara rolled away from where the pellet impacted the ground.

"Don't believe everything your enemy tells you. A handy rule to keep in mind when you plan to backstab." Takahashi capped it off with a con-artist-like wink.

…

"And…Why am I here again…?" Tomoya was crouched in a bush, muttering to himself. "This turned out to be an even bigger waste of time that I had imagined…"

Just like a hunter waiting for prey, Tomoya was waiting to find the right opportunity to move out and strike against an unsuspecting passerby. For some reason though, no one seemed to want to go through the very middle of the arena.

"Maybe I should've talked with Furukawa about the drama club. Heck, that'd be more productive than sitting in a bush like a hobo."

"And talking out loud makes you easy to find."

"Wha-?" Tomoya turned to find himself staring down the barrel of Takahashi's MP5.

"Though…" Takahashi removed the menacing piece of metal from Tomoya's field of vision. "It's true that maybe we of the drama club should hold a meeting of some sort soon to discuss future activities. All members, I mean. I'm sure you and Furukawa-san have done a good deal of meetings already."

"Yeah…" Tomoya looked away.

"Is something wrong?"

"Uh…no, nothing. I'll go find Fujibayashi. Go on with your game." Tomoya jumped out from the bush and walked away quietly.

"Huh…I wonder what's eating him…" Takahashi shrugged, and let his MP5 drop back down to his side. "Either way, another enemy scratched out."

…

With two enemies quickly eliminated, Takahashi was already off to a good start. Stalking through the arena, he hoped to score another two quick kills to end this quickly. Since Kyou had kept her sniper's rifle, he was expecting her to be in some tree again, scouting things from the high ground.

"How the hell did she climb that tree during the second round anyway?" Takahashi scanned the trees around him, looking for any sign of a person.

Suddenly, the sound of gunfire came from a short distance away. Takahashi closed in slowly on the scene, and found Kyou dueling Tomoyo. Unlike what Takahashi had expected, Kyou was taking cover behind a tree and using her Samurai Edge. Takahashi couldn't get a good view of Tomoyo. He considered firing on Kyou, but held back, because he thought that giving himself away was too dangerous. Instead, Takahashi took out his grenade, pushed the button on it, and rolled it at Kyou.

"Ah!" Kyou saw the grenade coming, and ran out from behind the tree, and dived down behind a rock.

With her further away, Takahashi stepped up from behind a bush and opened fire. However, Takahashi's gun kick caused the shot fired to miss.

"Not good!" Takahashi lunged forward and hid behind a tree. That had definitely gotten Kyou's attention.

At that moment, Tomoyo descended upon both of them, with a TMP firing at each person.

"Oh boy…" Takahashi stuck out his MP5 and blind fired it, sweeping across in an arc.

"Ouch!" Kyou rubbed her head after a pellet from Tomoyo's TMP found its mark.

_Just us two now…I won't lose this time._ Takahashi jumped out from behind the tree with both G18s set to full auto mode.

Tomoyo ducked down in front of the rock Kyou was behind to avoid the first volley of shots. Vaulting over the rock, she emptied her first TMP at Takahashi. Dropping low, Takahashi barely avoided all the pellets, and retaliated with another burst of fire from his G18s. Tomoyo quick-turned behind a tree, and then threw out a smoke grenade.

"Darn it!" Takahashi sprinted in the opposite direction. The smoke grenade popped, and engulfed the tiny battle zone with white smoke.

Takahashi could hear Kyou coughing from the smoke. Evidently, she hadn't gotten away from the fighting as fast as she should have.

"Alright." Takahashi dropped the empty G18 in his left hand back into his holster. "I'm going to finish this."

**To be continued in A Natural Progression…**

*On HK guns the charging handle can be locked up in a little notch. When you "slap" the handle back down it loads a bullet in the chamber.


	19. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: A Natural Progression**

Peeking out from behind his cover, Takahashi eyed the smoke carefully, looking for any signs of movement. Letting his guard down here would certainly spell doom for him. The smoke concealed everything in sight.

Takahashi coughed after accidentally inhaling some smoke. "Damn it."

Two pellets flew by his face, barely missing his right cheek. Takahashi took this as his cue to get back behind the tree. This wasn't a good place to be hiding. He was easily visible. Changing tactics, Takahashi blinded fired his G18 from the right side of the tree trunk and dashed forward after, vaulting over a fallen tree and leaned against it for cover.

The smoke was starting to clear now. Tomoyo was still nowhere in sight. Kyou was already gone.

Taking out an empty magazine, Takahashi tossed it in the general area where he had been. The idea was simple: lure Tomoyo into investigating the magazine, and then finish her off. And so, Takahashi waited.

Footsteps could be heard approaching after about ten seconds. Not daring to blow his cover, Takahashi kept his head down and glanced out from the left side of the fallen tree, until the footsteps stopped. Seizing the opportunity, Takahashi rolled out from cover and took aim.

BANG!

"Ngh!" Tomoyo couldn't react fast enough to avoid the pellet. It struck her right in the chest.

"Not bad. But I've seen better." Takahashi twirled his pistol, grinning slyly.

"I thought you were changing your magazine." Tomoyo picked up the empty G18 magazine off the ground and handed it to Takahashi. "You had me fooled."

"Take heart, Sakagami-san. You put up a good fight." Takahashi checked his wrist watch. "Now then, let's not keep the others waiting."

…

"You took your time." Sunohara handed Takahashi a bill for snacks and drinks. "You're treating us, right?"

"And…" Takahashi took the piece of paper and gave an exasperated sigh. "You took it upon yourself to put it on my tab without waiting for me to get here. You're welcome."

"It was all his idea." Tomoya took a sip out of his pop.

"Where do you get off blaming this on me?!"

"My treat anyway." Takahashi handed one of the facility operators the bill and some cash, before turning around and giving Sunohara and Tomoya a stern look. "But don't think that you can freeload like this behind my back all the time."

"All the time? You're saying there's going to be other times where we can get stuff?"

"No." Takahashi flicked Sunohara's forehead.

"Ouch! What was that for?!"

"One of the rules of being a friend: You don't take advantage of their kindness." Takahashi smirked.

"Ah, you two finally finished!" Kyou and Ryou joined the group. "It took you long enough." Kyou shot an angry glare at Tomoyo. "And for the record, that smoke grenade was uncalled for!"

"Why are you so angry about that?" Tomoyo shrugged, looking innocent. "It's part of the game for a reason."

"Any way…" Takahashi cut them off before anything could get out of hand. "Thank you for coming today. It was a blast, and it wouldn't have happened without you. Since it is getting rather late though, let's depart for now."

Kyou scowled at Tomoyo still, but didn't say another word.

….

"I guess that was a rather productive day…" Takahashi sat in his room alone now.

Everyone had gone their separate ways at the train station. Tomoya, Kyou, and Ryou all went in the other direction. Sunohara had tailed him for a bit, but he went into his own room. Looking back on the events of the day though, it felt like something was missing. And Takahashi couldn't figure out what it was. Something was not complete…He racked his brains. The feeling would not leave him.

At that moment though, a knock on his door pulled him out of deep thought. Takahashi opened the door. "Yes?"

A postman stood before him. The postman handed an envelope to him, and didn't say anything else before walking away.

"Uh…" Takahashi leaned out into the hallway and stared at the back of the postman. "Thanks…?"

Closing his door, Takahashi examined the envelope. It was addressed to his name, and its sender was…Ayane Yamazaki.

"Well…That was a pretty quick reply." Takahashi opened the envelope and scanned its contents.

"**Dear Takahashi, **

**Well, I'm glad that you have something in mind for the future. Back in the day, it seemed like you were just wandering aimlessly. I was worried about you for a while, but I guess everything is okay now, right? **

**About what happened that day…I'm really sorry. But I didn't know what else to do at the time. It was…"**

At this point in the letter, Takahashi saw a few dark spots on the letter. Tears? No way.

"**The only thing I could think of to knock some sense into you. I didn't mean to hurt you. You aren't like the others, Takahashi. Don't become one of them. I know that you were just looking out for your peers, but at the end of the day, you have to understand that beating people up doesn't make things better. It can make it worse.**

**By the way, I heard a couple of days ago that some of the guys figured out where you go to school, and I think they're going to find you. I just hope this letters reaches you before they do.**

**Ayane Yamazaki."**

So, it was a challenge. One that Takahashi wasn't going to back down from. Those kids were like thugs, and they deserved to be put down into the ground.

"Ayane, I guess I owe you one." Takahashi pulled out a pen and a piece of paper.

"**Dear Ayane, **

**I owe you one. Thank you for the heads up. And about what happened that day, don't worry. I was out of line with what I did, and what you did helped me realize it. Though I was frustrated and angry at the time, looking back, it was probably for the better. If you get a chance, we should talk in person. **

**Sincerely, **

**Takahashi Mirao." **

And just like last time, Takahashi placed the letter into a stamped envelope, wrote Ayane's address onto it, and gave it to the apartment's post office. When he made it back into his room, he knew that preparations must be made; preparations for the battle to come.

Takahashi unzipped his backpack and dumped its contents onto the ground, and emptied his coat and pant pockets.

Takahashi surveyed the tools at his disposal: Matches, a small rope, steel wire, batteries, cotton, wool, a map of Japan, a compass, painkillers, spare glasses, his Silver Desert Eagle, his spare G18 airsoft gun, brass knuckles, a hunting knife, disinfecting alcohol, a water canteen, beef jerky, a can of sardines, and a collapsible bo staff.

"Hmm…"

Takahashi recalled Ayane mentioning that it was some of the guys, which implies multiple attackers. In such a case, something with good reach is a must. The bo staff would be the ideal tool to use in such a situation. Should he be disarmed, the must be a backup tool. The brass knuckles would fill that role excellently. If that fails, the steel wire can cut into flesh, and be used as a last resort weapon. Both his airsoft pistols should also be carried if the situation gets too extreme.

"Alright, time to gear up for tomorrow." Using holsters and straps that could be concealed under clothing, he placed the airsoft pistol on his legs, his brass knuckles in his pant pockets, the steel wire in his uniform's right pocket, spare glasses in his uniform's left pocket, and concealed the collapsible bo staff in his backpack. He also put the rest of the things into the backpack as well.

Most of the stuff he had was giving to him by his father or uncle. More his uncle, since he was a part of the Strategic Response Team in another city. The straps and holsters were a birthday present for when he turned 16, though Takahashi wasn't sure if they were legal or not. The bo staff had been giving to him by his father, with his father telling him that it had been a gift from a client of his. Everything else Takahashi had assembled together in case of an emergency situation where he'd have to travel on foot and not live under a roof for an extended period of time.

After making sure all was secure, he looked in a mirror to make sure no one could tell he was armed. Takahashi sighed. This felt more like a covert operation of some sort instead of self-defence now. "Maybe I've been getting into too many fights. Feels like I never get a break from it."

Though looking at it now, he seemed more like someone who was fanatically obsessed with hunting down and beating up bullies. Takahashi obviously knew he wasn't the best fighter in the world; that fight with Tomoyo was probably a fluke too. But to him, it seemed that you could only get across to bullies by giving them a taste of their own medicine. It just didn't feel right anymore.

Takahashi glanced at his own reflect in a nearby mirror. His hazel eyes were weary, and to him, they seemed to be full of pain. Though tempted to just put away all of the tools he assembled, ultimately Takahashi remained armed to the teeth like a Special Forces operative for Monday.

….

"It makes me feel depressed." Tomoya muttered, looking up at the sky. "And it's not the weather."

Dark clouds loomed overhead. It wasn't raining yet, but the lack of sunlight really made everything look gloomy.

As Tomoya walked on the road to school, he heard footsteps slowly approaching.

"Okazaki-san! Good morning!" Nagisa caught up with Tomoya, and kept pace with him. It almost felt natural now.

"Oh…Good morning…" That's all Tomoya said before he fell into silence.

For a while, they walked alongside each other silently, until a third person joined them.

"A good morning to the two of you!" Takahashi had a grin on his face as he walked along with them, but to Tomoya, the grin seemed forced.

"Good morning, Takahashi-san." Nagisa greeted Takahashi the same way she greeted Tomoya.

Just like Tomoya though, Takahashi went silent after his greeting.

…..

At the slope of the hill in front of the school, Nagisa finally broke the silence.

"Okazaki-san, I have an idea."

"What?"

"Why don't we play basketball after school?"

Tomoya shrugged. "Who's playing?"

"We are." Nagisa pointed at Tomoya, and then to herself. "The two of us. Though Takahashi-san can join if he wants."

"Eh?" Takahashi pointed at himself in confusion.

"Huh?" Tomoya seemed just as confused.

"I'll be waiting for you at the basketball court after school." Nagisa didn't seem to catch their reactions. "I'll bring a ball and wait for you."

_How could she be so thoughtless…_Tomoya sighed deeply. "Are you an idiot?"

This remark earned Tomoya an elbow to the side from Takahashi. It wasn't hard, but enough to make Tomoya flinch.

"I have good reflexes too." Nagisa smiled shyly.

"That's not what I meant…" Tomoya shot Takahashi a "Stay out of this!" look.

"I can throw a shot…I can dribble while standing too."

Takahashi waved his hand back and forth furiously, trying to indicate to Tomoya that he shouldn't refuse.

"…You're not doing it right." Was Tomoya's response after processing Takahashi's waving.

"Huh? I'm not?" Nagisa's eyes widened, looking confused.

"No…You don't need to do this."

Takahashi dropped his shoulders, admitting defeat. "Do whatever you want." He whispered into Tomoya's ear before he turned away and started whistling.

"Just keep your mind on the drama club."

"But I want to know more about Okazaki-san too…"

"You know, if you want to play, go play by yourself."

Takahashi mouthed "You're missing the point, my friend!" to Tomoya. Tomoya rolled his eyes and ignored him.

But Nagisa was quite insistent. "No, let's do it together."

"I'm going home before you, okay?" That's all Tomoya could say before picked up the pace as he headed off to his classroom.

"Wait! Okazaki-" Nagisa called out after him, but was stopped by Takahashi.

"Don't bother." Takahashi placed his hand on Nagisa's shoulder, shaking his head. "He'll probably go, knowing him."

"But…" Nagisa watched as Tomoya's back got smaller and smaller.

"I'll wait with you. If he's a no show, I'll have a word with him tomorrow." Takahashi gave Nagisa a thumbs up. "That's a promise. For now though, I got to get to class too. I'll meet you after school, okay?"

Nagisa nodded quietly, and Takahashi ran off after Tomoya.

…

Sunohara was not in class. Either he was late again, or skipping. Takahashi couldn't help but sigh as he saw Sunohara's empty desk. At the rate this goes, Sunohara was going to close off all avenues in terms of career choice in the future.

…

Sunohara did appear, albeit with bloodshot eyes at the end of the first period. "Alright, time to take another crack at Tomoyo!"

"…Haven't you had enough?" Takahashi closed up his textbook with a BANG! "Well, what's the plan this time?"

"I'm going to take a hostage." Sunohara struck a triumphant pose. "You see these things in manga and drama all the time. I'll threaten something valuable of hers."

"Hey, Takahashi-san?" Ryou called out to Takahashi from outside the classroom. "Someone's looking for you."

_Here it comes_. Takahashi sucked in his breath. "Alright, hold on."

He'd have to leave Sunohara's antics to Tomoya.

Takahashi stood up, removed his collapsible bo staff from his backpack, and headed out the classroom exit. Before he got too far, Ryou tugged on his sleeve and stopped him.

"What's up?" Takahashi turned, facing Ryou.

Ryou's expression was quite serious, grave even. "They're not from this school. Be careful, okay?"

Takahashi laughed nervously. "Yeah, Ryou-san. I'll be back."

….

Takahashi stepped out onto the school courtyard. It was raining lightly, and puddles were already forming on the school grounds. There were three figures in a black tradition school uniform standing opposite to him. The rains drops obscured his vision, but Takahashi could tell that they were people there from his old school.

"What business do you have with me?!" Takahashi called out to the three figures. "This is not your school!"

The tallest of the three figures approached him slowly. As he entered Takahashi's vision more clearly, Takahashi could see that it was the same guy that attacked him on his way home from work. This time, he was carrying a metal baseball bat.

"I think you know perfectly well why we're here." The student stopped about five meters away from Takahashi. "Have you forgotten me already?"

"Well…" Takahashi scratched his head. "I've never been too good with names."

"…Perhaps we should get reacquainted then." The student unbuttoned his uniform and cast aside the outermost layer. "I'm Saito Doi. My arm remembers you quite well though."

"Hahaha!" Takahashi cackled evilly like a demon. "Come now? Still upset over that?! Give it a rest already! What's done is done! You've got nothing to gain by coming back!"

"Actually." Saito assumed a fighting stance. "I think I'll get some pleasure from beating the crap out of you!"

"…Heh." Takahashi held the bo staff before him and extended it to full length. The metallic tang of metal accompanied the extension of the staff. "If you're here for a fight, I'd advise you to just stop now. I don't want to fight you anymore."

"Good, because I don't think I'd want to fight me either." Saito charged forward with his baseball bat raised, ready for a murderous swing.

Takahashi spun his bo staff, and raised it for a parry.

The sound of the rain falling was, for a moment, drowned out by the sharp clash of metal.

**To be continued in: Stand Tall**

…


	20. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19: Stand Tall**

"Are you done yet?" Takahashi looked down on his fallen foes.

"Ngh…"

All three of his opponents were lying on the ground, groaning in pain.

"Damn it…We're not finished yet…" Saito tried to grip onto his baseball bat.

Takahashi clamped his foot on top of the baseball bat, gently took it out of Saito's hand, and threw it into a nearby bush. "Look pal, you're all lying on the ground. That's about as over as it gets. Anymore and I'm going to end up paying your medical bills."

The initial scuffle between Takahashi and Saito was pretty brief. Saito landed a clean hit on Takahashi's right shin with the baseball bat after the parry, but that was as far as he got. Takahashi completely took the upper hand after, hitting Saito with rapid point strikes from his bo-staff. Saito blocked a quite a few strikes, but most of Takahashi's attacks found their mark. The other two students rushed in at that point, but were also quickly disposed of.

Takahashi wiped sweat and rain off of his forehead, and returned his bo-staff to a collapsed position. "What did you hope to accomplish? There isn't a point to this fighting."

"…Grr…You…!" Saito tried to force himself to a standing position, but the pain it caused quickly dropped him back down to the cold and hard ground.

Weariness reappeared in Takahashi's eyes. "You should just leave me alone. I'm not who I used to be. And I know there's more to you than just fighting."

Takahashi turned away from Saito and his lackeys and went back into the school, completely soaked by the rain and limping from the hit he'd received on his leg.

…

Takahashi limped back into the classroom before the break ended, not even stopping to explain himself to anyone before he dropped into his desk, and hid his bo-staff back into his backpack. His water-soaked clothes caught several people's attention, but they didn't say a word. Ryou and Sunohara looked worried, but couldn't say anything because the teacher had just walked into the room as well. The teacher gave Takahashi a strange look before starting the class.

…..

During the class, Tomoya looked left and right out the window, completely ignoring the lesson. Since lessons had resumed, the area near the school gate was empty. However, Tomoya saw something he'd never seen before.

"What the heck is that…?"

It was moving, so it was likely some sort of animal, but Tomoya couldn't make out what it was. Too big to be a cat, and too round to be a dog, and its tail was too short to be a racoon dog. It also had a somewhat striped pattern skin. The animal was rubbing its nose against the school gate wall.

_It's quite amazing to see its legs move so fast._ Tomoya thought.

….

Right after lessons were over, Tomoya left the classroom and immediately headed towards the school gates.

"Where're you going, Okazaki?" Sunohara kept pace alongside him.

"Something's bugging me."

"Something interesting?" Sunohara asked.

"It's probably nothing."

"I'll go with you." Sunohara's face lit up with concern, like some strange light bulb had just turned on in his head. "That reminds me. Did you see Takahashi as he entered the classroom?"

"He was soaking wet, yeah." Tomoya shrugged. "What's so special about that? He probably went for a stroll."

"No, it wasn't that that bothered me." Sunohara crossed his arms, contemplating something. "I watched him carefully, and noticed that he was limping. It was like he got hit by something. You think he went out to pick a fight with someone? Tomoyo maybe?"

Tomoya kept his eye on the school gates. The animal was still there. "I don't know him well enough. But he's gotten into more fights in these last two weeks than I can count. Most of it was because of you though."

Sunohara opened his mouth to retort something, but ultimately he couldn't say anything else, only making an "Hmph" sound.

…..

"Hmm…I'm sure it was around here somewhere." By the time Tomoya and Sunohara had made it to the school gates, the animal was nowhere to be found. It had also stopped raining.

"Are you looking for something?" Sunohara poked Tomoya to get his attention.

"Not exactly…Hmm…?" Tomoya noticed something wandering around his legs.

"Puhi puhi!" It was the animal that Tomoya had seen earlier.

"….." Tomoya stared at the animal. Even though it was this close, Tomoya couldn't tell what it was.

"Hey, Okazaki! What is that?" Sunohara saw the animal as well.

"Puhi puhi!"

"I wonder…What the heck is this animal? I think I've seen it before, although this one is still a baby…"

"S-so cute…" Sunohara bent down to get closer to the animal.

"Yeah, it has a charm that dogs and cats don't have."

Sunohara reached out to the animal. "I wonder if it bites."

"It's snuggling around my legs, so I don't think it's hostile."

As Sunohara's hand neared the animal, it hid behind Tomoya's leg and began to shake. "Pu…puhi puhi!"

"Don't run away..." Sunohara was just about to touch the back of the little animal.

"Hey!" A voice shouted from behind the Tomoya and Sunohara.

Tomoya turned around, as the voice seemed familiar to him. At the same time, something flew right by the front of his face.

SLAM!

"Gah!"

It hit Sunohara in the face. When the object tumbled down to Tomoya's feet, he realized that it was a Japanese-English dictionary. At the same time, Sunohara fell down to his knees and his nose was bleeding.

Thud!

Just as Sunohara was to get up, he was kicked by someone. Before Tomoya could say anything, Sunohara did a somersault and hit the ground.

"Puhi puhi~" The animal ran to the open arms of the person who had just arrived.

"Geez…What are you trying to do to my pet?" Kyou's long hair fluttered as she said that.

"Your pet…?" Tomoya watched as Kyou embraced the animal.

"Yes, my pet." Kyou petted it gently.

"This round thing?" Tomoya pointed at it. "What is it?"

"It's a piglet. A baby boar."

"A pet baby boar…" Tomoya took a moment to think about that.

"Oh, don't you want to know its name? It's Botan. It's cute, isn't it?"

Tomoya snickered. "Sounds yummy."

"Hmm? What?" Kyou smiled, except her smile seemed rather menacing.

"Nothing, never mind." Tomoya smiled casually to avoid a beating.

"Ugh…" Sunohara got off the ground and dusted himself off. He walked back over to Tomoya.

"Hey, Sunohara." Tomoya elbowed Sunohara in the side. "Compared to Tomoyo's kick, which one hurt more?"

"You've got better things to be asking about don't you?!" Sunohara wiped the blood off of his nose. "Also, I caught a glimpse of a shoe and something light-blue from that kick just now. It must've been your panti-"

"ERASE THAT FROM YOUR MIND-!" Kyou prepared to soccer kick Sunohara into a state of unconsciousness.

Before the kick could reach Sunohara's head, a metal rod of some sort stopped Kyou's leg.

"Ooh, hey now…That's not necessary, is it?"

Takahashi was the one holding the metal bo-staff. Gently, he used his free hand to push Kyou's leg back down to the ground. After doing so, Takahashi planted his bo-staff into the ground like a walking stick.

"Sorry I took so long." Takahashi walked forward, indeed using the partially extended bo-staff like a cane. "Now, what's going on?"

Kyou was panting, and her face was flushed red. "…Did you two hear what he just said?"

Tomoya looked to the side. "I didn't." He found that he couldn't say anything else.

Takahashi chuckled like an old man. "Sort of. It's not that big of a deal is it? It wasn't like he meant to or anything."

Kyou bit her lip upon hearing that. Then her expression softened when she noticed that Takahashi was using his bo-staff for support. "Hey, what happened to you? Is something wrong with your leg?"

"Ah, don't worry." Takahashi reached down and patted his shin. "I tripped and hurt my leg. It stings quite a bit, so I'm improvising." Takahashi then noticed Botan in Kyou's arms. "What's that thing doing here?"

"That's right." Tomoya turned back to Kyou. "Why did your pet come here?"

"To meet me of course."

As if to voice his agreement, Botan made cheerful "Puhi puhi" sounds.

"Well…" Takahashi inspected the baby boar carefully. "Classes are still going, so what are you going to do with…it?"

"Oh, that's right…!" Kyou glanced back at the school. "You see, Botan, I can't go home yet. So be a good boy and go home."

"Puhi…" Botan sounded very sad.

"Here, I'll walk him home." Takahashi offered his hand to Botan. "Can you tell me where you live?"

"Are you sure?" Kyou pointed at Takahashi's right leg. "Can you make it like that?"

"Yeah, I'm sure." Takahashi grinned confidently. "Don't worry, I'm not going to stalk you or anything."

"Ah…It's alright then." Kyou passed Botan to Takahashi. "Botan will take you there. Just be sure not to lose him. Also, watch out for a baker guy whose eyes look menacing."

"You mean Akio-san?" Takahashi shrugged. "I'll be sure to be careful." He nodded to Sunohara. "Tell the teacher I'm going to be late. Tell him I had problems with my leg and wanted to rest for a bit."

With that, Takahashi set Botan down on the ground, and Botan took the lead. He was fast, but Takahashi kept up surprisingly well for someone who was using something as a walking stick.

"You think he'll be okay?" Sunohara watched as Takahashi and Botan descend the slope beyond the school gates.

"Probably." Tomoya didn't really care. He just wanted to go back to class and sleep.

"Classes are resuming soon. I'm going back first. I'll maximize my sleeping time that way." Sunohara headed back to the school building after leaving those parting words.

Tomoya was going to follow, but Kyou stopped him.

"What is it?" Tomoya brushed Kyou's hand off his shoulder.

"I was thinking. Do you think he was doing me a favour to get on my good side? Since he's into Ryou and all."

"Not likely." Tomoya thought about all the times Takahashi helped others. Though they may have yielded some personal gain, undoubtedly they were mainly altruistic in nature. "He's just trying to help out."

"That leg of his worries me though." Kyou sighed. "Guys are a little crazy like that, huh?"

"We're the ones that are crazy?" Tomoya smirked.

The two of them headed back to the school as well. Near the entrance though, Tomoya saw something he hadn't seen earlier: A small silver glint inside one of the shrubs.

"The hell?" Tomoya crouched down to get a better look. "Is that a baseball bat?"

"Huh…" Kyou pulled it out from the bush with a bit of effort. "It doesn't have the Hikarizaka High School tag on it. It's dented all over the place too. It looks like it wasn't handled gently, to say the least."

Tomoya took the baseball bat from Kyou and looked at it closely. The dents weren't round, like the ones a baseball would make. The dents were cylindrical in shape, as if they had been made by some sort of rod.

"No way." Tomoya glanced back towards the school gates. "Takahashi...?"

"What's the matter?" Kyou followed Tomoya's gaze.

"Nothing." Tomoya tossed the baseball bat back into the bush. "Let's go back to class. I'm tired."

As Tomoya walked to class along with Kyou, for once he began to worry. _Takahashi…Was Sunohara right about you?_

…

"I don't know if I'm the escort or the one being escorted."

Takahashi sighed as he limped after Botan. He kept the little piglet in his sight, but it was rather hard to keep pace with it. His leg was constantly screaming at him in protest for ignoring the pain that the baseball bat had caused.

"Puhi puhi!" Botan reached an intersection, but instead of running off, he waited for Takahashi to catch up.

As soon as Takahashi was within five meters of Botan, Botan took off again at a rapid pace. Now, it must have looked weird to anyone outside; a high school student who shouldn't be out on the streets during class time, limping while using a bo-staff as a walking cane, chasing after a piglet. It wasn't the kind of sight most people would see. This bothered Takahashi the entire time while he was following Botan. He wanted to present himself as a more studious person, but he also wanted to be able to help out his friends every now and then. It resulted in a bit of mental deadlock whenever he wanted to make a decision about something.

After a while, Botan found a house, and ran through the front gates. Takahashi observed the house with some scrutiny. It was a rather big one, at least bigger than anything he'd ever bothered to pay attention to. It was two stories high, it seemed to be divided into two sections, and it had a ton of windows. There was quite a bit of greenery as well. Trees were all over the place here. With the amount of windows they have for natural lighting and all the aspects of nature surrounding it, this would be a really peaceful place to live in. If it was really where the Fujibayashi twins lived, Takahashi felt that he'd have to try visiting sometime in the future. He'd probably be more here to visit Ryou and Kyou though.

"Well, objective parameters achieved…" Takahashi looked up at the sky. There was a silver lining in the clouds, but that wasn't much of a reassurance. If he didn't get back to school quickly, it'll probably start raining again.

He took two limping steps away from the house when he looked back up at the sky. The silver lining, the gray clouds, it all reminded him of how his life was. Takahashi was suddenly engulfed by a feeling of melancholy. Just like how the clouds blocked out most of the light from reaching him now, Takahashi never had much opportunity to prove himself to those around him. All that time in junior high school he spent trying to make a difference by returning to the sender just felt like it had accomplished nothing. Maybe there had been a moment when he finally felt like things were clicking into place, and that everything was going to be alright. But now, he couldn't see what the point of it was. No matter what he did, he just ended up alone again. No one really got along with him until Sunohara came along. Takahashi smiled weakly at that thought.

"That's right, isn't it?" Takahashi started walking again, shrugging off the pain in his shin.

Even if Sunohara was a bit stupid at times, he was the closest thing Takahashi had ever had to a true friend. And now that he's gotten to know Ryou, Tomoya, Nagisa, and heck, even that Ichinose girl, perhaps things might change. He wasn't sure of course, because this was the same kind of feeling he had back when he was in junior high. On top of it all, he only had this one year of high school left before he had to join society for good. But what the heck. A little positive thinking might not hurt. It'd probably be what encourages people to go forward.

By the time Takahashi had gotten back to the bottom of the hill outside the school, he thought that the silver lining in the clouds had gotten much brighter. It stood out quite well against the gloomy gray clouds.


	21. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20: The Turning Tides**

Right now, fourth period was over, and so was homeroom. The only students who were left were the ones that had club activities. Takahashi did get back to class, though he ended up only getting half of the notes that he had intended to take. Given the circumstances, it was all he could do just scribble things down.

"All right then, let's go hang out somewhere." Sunohara grabbed his bag and was ready to leave already. He looked a little loopy. "We could go hit on girls from the schools once in a while."

"Bad idea." Takahashi pointed out the window at the angry gray clouds. "It's about to rain."

"Huh?! No way!" Sunohara turned around to look out the window that he had been ignoring for most of the day.

"Look how cloudy the sky is…" Tomoya got out of his desk and pushed in the chair.

"No way…" Sunohara grimaced and slammed his right fist on one of the desks. "My fun Saturday night…"

"Hey, Sunohara!"

For whatever reason, the homeroom teacher had suddenly appeared behind Sunohara. He looked rather intimidating, as all teacher should when they're about to do something worse than death to a student.

"You're coming with me to the staff room right now."

"Not good!" Sunohara was grabbed by the shoulder, and quickly pulled away. He left a trail of protests as he was dragged out of the room.

Takahashi sighed deeply and stood up. "Well, let's get going. He'll probably free in a while."

"Yeah." Tomoya glanced at Takahashi's leg. "How's that leg doing?"

"Peh." Takahashi tapped his shin lightly with a goofy grin. "It hurts. A lot. Think of what happens when something harder than bone hits your bone. Now imagine the pain that accompanies it. Now imagine-"

"Alright, alright, I get it. Let's go."

…..

Tomoya and Takahashi stood outside in the corridors for a while watching the cloudy sky. A thought crossed Tomoya's mind as he gazed over a few clouds.

Is Furukawa out there somewhere waiting for me, holding a basketball?

Tomoya couldn't see her from where he stood, so he kept staring at the sky. He hoped that it wouldn't rain.

"Well my friend, are you ready to go?" Takahashi snapped in Tomoya's ear to get his attention.

"Go where?"

"Outside." Takahashi replied. "Furukawa-san is waiting for you, right?"

Tomoya couldn't respond to that.

"Okazaki? Mirao?"

"Oh? There's someone calling you." Takahashi pointed behind Tomoya before sitting down and collapsing his bo-staff.

Looking back, it was Tomoyo who stood there.

"I guess you made him stop. Nothing happened all day."

"Hah. Figured as much." Takahashi shrugged. It didn't really concern him, and he didn't really do much anyway.

"Yeah, you'll be fine now."

"Yeah. You really helped me out. That's the only thing I have to do these days, so if it's over I'll feel a bit lonely."

"Why's that?" Takahashi pulled out an ice pack from his backpack before continuing. "You have plenty of friends, right?"

"Of course. Everyone is nice to me. And I have nothing bad to say about them. But they're a bit too polite. You and Sunohara are great at being idiots." Tomoyo said what sounded like an insult with a gentle smile.

"I don't think that is the issue." Takahashi cringed at the term "idiots." "That is why you came to this school, right?"

"You know, it might better if you just ignore us." Tomoya added.

"I don't really mind."

"Even with bad guys like us?"

Takahashi snickered. "Does that "us" include me?"

Tomoyo ignored Takahashi's remark. She looked a bit more serious than before. "I also say hello to people like you. And by the way, I don't hate anyone."

"What about Sunohara?"

Tomoyo nodded, almost reluctantly from what Takahashi could see. "Yeah, him too."

"You're a softie, aren't you?" Takahashi finished applying the ice pack and stood up again. "I'd even go as far as to say that it would be unexpected from someone such as you."

"Heh, I guess you're right." Tomoyo smiled in agreement. "I'm filled with motherly love. Don't you think this makes me kind of girly?"

"Are you still going on about that?" Takahashi laughed. "Girly? More like an old lady."

"Hey wait, I don't follow." Tomoya interjected. "Where is this coming from?"

"I told you about that time Youhei was being stupid and trying to prove that Sakagami-san was a guy, right? It stems from that. Long story." Takahashi pushed up his glasses.

"Hey, that's rude." Tomoyo pouted. "I'm a year younger than both of you."

"Completely forgot. Must be the height." Takahashi teased.

"Huh." Tomoyo flicked her hair aside. "Well, I have to go. I'm going home with some friends. I'll look bad if I make them wait."

"Alright, get going then." Takahashi yawned.

"Well, get out of here." Tomoya shrugged indifferently.

"It doesn't even bother you does it?" Tomoyo was evidently disappointed with their reactions. "You should at least act as if you're sorry we have to part ways."

"Well, don't go then and stay here?" Takahashi frowned for comedic effect.

"That's great and all, but too bad." Tomoyo smiled again, satisfied. "I have to keep my promise. Later." Tomoyo waved before walking away.

Takahashi watched as she walked away, while Tomoya turned around and headed towards the entrance.

"Just wait for us, Furukawa-san."

…..

When Tomoya got the field, surely enough, Nagisa was there. She was holding a basketball to her chest and waiting patiently. Tomoya couldn't bring himself to tell her why he had stopped playing basketball the same way he had told Takahashi. Nagisa was probably doing her best too, wanting to know about it.

"She's making a big fuss out of it. Damn. She'll probably head home once it gets dark." Tomoya started walking in the opposite direction. This did not escape the attention of Takahashi.

"My friend, where are you going? Furukawa-san is waiting for us."

Without answering Takahashi, Tomoya picked up the pace and headed for the school gates.

"Hey!" Takahashi called out in protest, but there was little he could do. His leg was in no condition for a race. He could only watch helplessly as Tomoya disappeared through the school gates.

With no other choice left, Takahashi walked over to Nagisa. Thankfully, with the icepack there now he didn't have to use that bo-staff as a cane. It would have been dead obvious that something was wrong with his leg.

"Furukawa-san!" Takahashi waved to her.

"Takahashi-san." Nagisa was smiling. She probably thought that his arrival meant that Tomoya was not far behind.

"Sorry, but it seems Okazaki-san isn't here right now. I guess it means we'll have to wait for him." He was afraid to have to say this, but Takahashi couldn't really do anything. He can only hope that Tomoya would be coming back.

"Really?" Nagisa looked at the school building. "Is he busy with something?"

Takahashi didn't want to discourage her in any way. "No clue. Haven't seen him since the end of homeroom."

"Okay…Well…I guess let's wait then." Nagisa glanced up at the sky. She seemed to have all the patience in the world right now.

"If it rains, you're going to catch a cold." Takahashi warned.

"Don't worry." Nagisa's smile had confidence behind it. "Okazaki-san will come for sure. I know it."

"Heh…" Takahashi raised his backpack over his head. "Whatever. We can wait. I've come prepared."

The two of them stood there at that basketball court outside. Nagisa held onto the basketball tightly, as if it were giving her hope.

_You better make it, Okazaki-san. You'll be getting heck from me if you don't._ Takahashi exhaled and thought he saw, just barely, his breath condensing into vapour. It might've just been his imagination, but it definitely was cold right now.

…..

Tomoya went to Sunohara dorm room. The door was open, of course. After waiting for a while, Sunohara appeared.

"Whew…" He was shaking his head in dismay when he noticed that Tomoya was sitting on his bed. "Whoa? Who's there?!"

"Welcome back." Tomoya acknowledged Sunohara with a quick nod.

"Don't enter people's rooms without their permission. You scared me." Sunohara tossed aside his book bag.

"Oh, is that so?" Tomoya looked up. "Then next time I'll pretend to be a zombie."

"That's creepy!" Sunohara slammed the door shut and took off his jacket. "Damn it, he really chewed me out today. By the way, you're next. He'll come by since this is my place."

"No way…" Tomoya grimaced. He hated dealing with the teachers.

"Well, it's because he wants us to go to college."

"You?" Tomoya laughed in patronizing manner. "That's impossible."

"You're no different!" Sunohara glared at Tomoya in response.

…

Outside, it began to rain. They'd waited patiently, but Takahashi and Nagisa didn't see Tomoya anywhere.

"Furukawa-san, perhaps we should go inside and wait." Takahashi glanced up at the clouds. It looked like this would be a downpour.

"No…" Nagisa was adamant on waiting. "Okazaki-san will come for sure…I know he will."

Takahashi sighed. He wasn't really up for arguing with a girl today. But he felt that he should do something if Nagisa did insist on waiting.

Takahashi put down his backpack for a moment. He unbuttoned his jacket and walked up behind Nagisa, placing the jacket over her shoulders.

"Wha…" Nagisa was startled by the new weight on her shoulders.

"You'll catch a cold waiting like this." Takahashi pushed up his glasses. "I can't let that happen now, can I?"

"T-thank you." Nagisa hugged the basketball in her arms tightly, her eyes slightly dazed. "Sorry about this."

"Don't worry about it." Takahashi raised his backpack over his head again with a smile. "We can wait, but I'd like to avoid any unnecessary ailments."

…..

Sunohara was gazing out the window in his room. "It looks like it's really going to rain." He muttered. "I guess we can't go anywhere because of this. Spending the afternoon with another guy…"

"Get out then." Tomoya pointed towards the door.

"Hey! This is my room!" Sunohara protested.

"But still, someone has to stay here, right?" Tomoya grabbed a magazine.

"I'm not leaving." Sunohara took a magazine as well.

They ended up lounging around and reading magazines. It was a scene that could've been expected of two young adolescents who acted like dropouts. However, as they flipped pages, Tomoya was becoming increasingly bothered by the sound of the rain. It was raining even harder than before.

_There's no way she's waiting for me in this rain, right? It'd be horrible if she was._

That is what he thought to himself. It was a rhetorical question though. Tomoya knew the answer to that already.

"I'm out of here." Tomoya stood up, and left the room before Sunohara could say anything.

Grabbing an umbrella from the stands near the entrance, he ran into the pouring rain.

. ….

Tomoya was at the top of the hill outside the school gates right now. He was panting from exhausting, having ran all the way there.

"Haah…Haah…"

Tomoya sluggishly walked the rest of the way to the basketball court. Much to his dismay, Nagisa was there, without an umbrella, completely soaked by the rain. Takahashi was there too, crouched down with his backpack over his head wearing only his white dress shirt.

"Furukawa…Are you an idiot!?" He hurried over to Nagisa.

"Ah…Okazaki-san…I'm glad. You finally came." She smiled, looking slightly fatigued.

"About time, my friend." Takahashi let go of his backpack to clap very slowly, looking more than a little disappointed.

"Hey, how long have you two been waiting? You're both soaking wet." Tomoya dropped his umbrella, took off his jacket to put it over Furukawa, when he noticed that there was already another jacket over top of Nagisa's. That jacket was completely soaked as well. He knew it was Takahashi's. He placed his jacket over top of it.

"And I just borrowed this ball…I should dry it off and return it…" Nagisa looked at the ball she was holding.

"The ball won't catch a cold, but what about you?!"

"If you were really worried about that…" Takahashi stood up and walked over to look Tomoya right in the eye. "Why didn't you come sooner?"

"…" Tomoya gritted his teeth. Takahashi was right. He didn't have anything to say back to that. The rain was falling really heavily on Nagisa's head.

"No…" Nagisa shook her head gently. "Let's play…basketball…"

"How are we going to play, soaking wet?"

"Can't we?"

"We can." Takahashi gently tossed aside his backpack. "Just with a little impaired vision."

"No, you two." Tomoya was soaking wet now as well. He didn't even care about the umbrella anymore. "Just go home."

"But, please…" Nagisa held the ball up to Tomoya. "Let me see just one shot. I want to see one at last. I haven't seen a basketball player shoot up close. You won't throw underhanded like me, right? You need to have a good stance to do it, right? So I want to see it at least once." She gently pressed the ball into Tomoya's hands. "Please."

Takahashi nodded and then looked away. Tomoya knew why. He had no choice but to show Nagisa.

_How long has it been since I held one…?_ Tomoya wondered to himself. He slowly turned and headed for the basketball loop. The ball felt familiar to his hands, but it didn't feel like how it used to, back when he was the captain of the basketball team. It had been too long since he last took a shot.

Tomoya tried to lift the ball over his shoulder. But he suddenly dropped it before he could shoot it. The ball fell to the wet ground, bouncing in the rain and the mud. Picking it up, Tomoya tried again. But his arm couldn't lift it up properly. The ball fell to the ground again.

"…" Nagisa was dumbstruck. She didn't have a clue what was happening.

"Hey, Furukawa-san." Takahashi was standing beside her, biting his lip. "Do you want an explanation?"

Tomoya exhaled. A melancholic smile appeared on his face. "I can't do it."

"What?"

"There's no way I can shoot the ball." He picked up the ball and passed it back to Takahashi. "I can't even raise the ball over my shoulder. I injured myself a long time ago…"

"..." Nagisa looked shocked and saddened as she stared at the ball that Takahashi had just given her.

Tomoya had to wonder if Nagisa's mind was swirling after saying the things she had said.

"You won't throw underhanded like me, right? You need to have a good stance to do it, right? So I want to see it at least once."

He wondered what she was thinking after saying that to someone who couldn't even lift his hand above his shoulder.

"I'm sorry…I didn't know…" Tears started welling up in Nagisa's eyes. Her face became flushed, and her cheeks were trembling. "I guess I really am an idiot…Ah…"

Suddenly, Nagisa stumbled and fell forward, as if someone had pushed her from behind. Takahashi lunged and grabbed her mid-fall.

"Furukawa!" Tomoya ran over to Nagisa, and placed his hand on her forehead. She was burning up.

"Jesus…She passed out." Takahashi checked Nagisa's pulse. "No choice then. We need to take her home, now. Can you carry her?"

Takahashi placed his and Tomoya's jacket over Nagisa's chest as Tomoya cradled Nagisa in his arms. She seemed so fragile right now. _I'm the real idiot here…_Tomoya thought that as he looked at Nagisa. He hadn't felt this worried for a long time. After that train of thought, he took off towards the front gate.

Grabbing the umbrella and his backpack, Takahashi followed not close behind. "Damn it, Okazaki…" He muttered to himself. "If you'd had just come when we left the school…"

**To be continued…**

….


	22. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21: The Dual Nature of Life**

Tomoya found himself standing outside the Furukawa Bakery, a day after the incident with Nagisa. It was a clear sky today, and rather bright, as expected of the afternoon. To Tomoya's immediate right stood Takahashi, still sighing, apparently in contempt.

"Can you just shut up? It was my fault, okay?"

An angry grimace from Takahashi. "You're such a gentleman, leaving her in the cold like that. We were fortunate enough for me to have a day off work and not have mandatory basketball practice; she would've been all alone."

"Don't patronize me." Tomoya shoved a fist under Takahashi's chin for emphasis. "I get it already."

"Good." Takahashi backed off. This wasn't the best time to be starting a fight anyway.

"All I want to do is check on how she's doing." Tomoya entered the shop.

Takahashi wasn't entirely pleased with that response. Surely Tomoya felt more concern than just that? If this had been Ryou…

"Well, this one isn't my heroine." Takahashi followed suit and entered.

…..

"Welcome." Akio greeted the two students as if they were customers, before recognizing Tomoya. "Eh, it's you again, huh? Don't just come in here like a customer, you're always making me guess at that."

"And how should I act differently from a customer?"

Akio crossed his arms. "Well, let's see…"

Takahashi decided this was a good time for an interjection. "Let's skip the formalities. Is Nagisa-san okay?"

"Does she have a fever?" Tomoya added.

"Tsk…" Akio pointed towards the household's hallway with his thumb. "She's sleeping, so give it up already. You sure can't wait just for one day, huh? In any event, she's not delirious and muttering your name. She's not like that."

Takahashi had a good guess of what Akio would say, so he filled the blanks. "Ah…I love you daddy! You're so cool! That's…what you're wishing she'd say, right?"

"Geh…" Akio looked away.

"I think you're the one with the fever, old man." Tomoya muttered before speaking up. "I'm asking you seriously."

Akio exhaled, and some smoke from his cigarette floated into the air. "She has a slight fever. It's not that serious. Sanae is with her, so don't worry about it."

Tomoya was actually pretty relieved hearing Akio's words. "Then she'll be at school tomorrow, won't she?"

"Hmm?" Takahashi jabbed Tomoya in the neck. "You want to see her that badly?"

"Hey, knock it off!" Tomoya sent a return jab, aiming under Takahashi's glasses and into his eyes.

"Ow!" Takahashi rubbed his eyes, and stood down without retaliation.

_Okazaki…Really doesn't pull his punches._ Takahashi wiped his glasses with a cloth from his pocket.

"I don't think so." Akio replied once the short scuffle was over. "She needs to rest a bit."

"Well, alright. I should be leaving then…" Tomoya turned towards the doorway.

"Hey wait!" Akio grabbed a tray full of bread. "Take some of Sanae's bread with you."

"I don't need any." Tomoya's tone was rather cold, and he made his way out of the store.

"Hey, Furukawa-san." Takahashi took the tray out of Akio's hands and placed it back down on the counter. "It's best to leave it here. Let sleeping Gods lie."

"Hey brat…why don't you take some? You buy bread from here anyway, so why not have some for free?"

Takahashi wagged his finger left and right. "Uh-uh. I only buy the ones you make. It isn't personal, but I have a policy of eating whatever I buy or take. Frankly speaking, I'm not up for turning that into a double edged sword."

"Tch." Akio pushed Takahashi towards the exit. "Scram then. Come back as a customer later."

"Hey hey hey! I get it, I'm going." Takahashi felt like he'd been pushed with nearly enough force to send him flying out the exit. "Tell Nagisa-san I said hi later."

"Right…" Akio muttered and turned away.

….

**Chapter 21 α: Out of Mind**

Immediately after leaving Nagisa's house, Tomoya was headed for Sunohara's house. He had nothing better to do except waste time there. He was on the road heading towards the school.

"Hey." A voice called to Tomoya.

_Is he calling me?_ Tomoya kept walking and ignored the voice.

"Excuse me!" The voice called again.

Tomoya turned around a saw a young man beckoning him

"Please come here a minute." Up ahead was an automobile. Beside it, there was a man wearing a helmet and work clothes. A truck was also stopped nearby.

_Was there an accident?_

"Over here, come and take a look." The young man pointed at the hood of the car. Taking a closer look, there was clearly a round dent.

"And?" Tomoya shrugged.

"And…" The young man pointed impatiently. "If you look up ahead, there's that worker over there."

Looking up ahead, there was a ladder propped up against the street light. It appeared that the street light was undergoing repairs.

"No matter how many times you say it…That dent doesn't look like it was caused by a dropped tool. And suppose it was. I wouldn't try to hide it." The worker pulled down on his hardhat, obscuring his eyes.

"Maybe you dropped something and didn't notice. Hey, that's possible, right?" The young man turned to Tomoya. "This man was working right above my car. He insists that nothing fell, but because something did, my hood's been dented like this. Tell us which story makes more sense."

"Who knows…?" Tomoya honestly didn't care at all. He felt it would've been better if he didn't get dragged into this, especially if he has nothing to do with the situation.

"What do you mean? Haven't you got any sense either? Then call your company. Explain what happened."

"If you want me to pay for the damage, I'm fine with that." The worker looked up. "But you know…someday you're going to look back on this and think. About whether or not this electrician was lying…Although you should do that in a place where you're comfortable. That's right, next to the one you love!"

Tomoya lost track of what the worker was saying when he started talking about love. So did the young man, apparently.

"Eh…? What are you talking about…?"

"People get hurt every day. It's only natural to distrust strangers. But if you can't believe in anything at all, well, that's really tragic. To not believe anyone…that's the same as a man who's become unable to love. It's the same as being alone."

…_How the hell can this guy even say this? It feels like some major dialogue out of a movie_. Tomoya felt awkward listening to this lecture. But it was captivating somehow.

"Now…What are we able to do _without_ anybody else?" The worker stepped closer to the car owner. "Where can people go all on their own? Have you…ever had painful feelings all by yourself? You couldn't live on in such servility, could you?! Could you serious laugh?!"

"H-haha…Well, probably not…" The car owner backed away slowly, looking more than a little nervous.

"Hmm…I see…In that case, you can feel love. Keep on living your life in such a way that love doesn't fade away." The worker smiled and pulled his hard hat back down.

"O-okay…"

…_His words are cool and magnificent...Saying that while wearing a helmet…_

"I shall work…So that love may shine brightly, even today…" The worker probably looked delusional to people passing by. With that, he started climbing the ladder again.

"Hey wait, I need your company's number!"

"Hmm…that's right." The worker got down. "The office number, what was it…? Would a business card be okay?"

"Yeah." 

"Umm…" Tomoya touched the hood of the car and examined the dent more closely. "It looks like a cat."

"…What does?" The worker turned to face Tomoya and asked.

"This dent here." Tomoya traced the edges of the dent with an index finger. "It looks like the corners have footprints. Maybe it jumped from this wall over here?"

The two men exchanged glances. The worker came over next to Tomoya and took a look.

"…You're right."

"What…?" After that, the young man stood beside Tomoya, narrowing his eyes.

"Hey, you're right…"

The worker softly slapped the young man's shoulder. "Well, these things happen."

"Haha…Sorry about the false accusation…" As if on cue, a very fat cat crawled out from underneath the car, letting out a loud low-pitched "meow."

The young man, as if in a hurry to get away, jumped into his car and sped off as soon as the cat was out of the way.

"Whew…" Taking a deep breath, the worker glanced at his watch. "This is bad…Hmm…Got a minute?" He asked, looking at Tomoya.

"Huh? Well…" Tomoya had planned on wasting time.

"Come on, help me out here."

"With?"

"Setting up at one more street light."

"Huh? Why me?"

"I'm out of time. Besides, you're young. You should be full of energy, right? I'll pay you too. You can call it pocket money."

Tomoya sighed, but obliged. "I'm not really a maintenance worker, but well, whatever. I won't be fixing anything, just helping you to set up."

"Okay."

Coincidentally, the street light was on the familiar road that Tomoya had commuted on for so long. Tomoya felt a little uncomfortable about it being changed. "Should there even be street lights here?"

The worker looked puzzled by Tomoya's remark. "It's much safer that way. The area around here becomes pitch black when it gets late. And people live here, so it should look good."

"It's not oppressive, is it?"

"More strange words." The worker frowned visibly. "The road's for people, isn't it?"

"Sure…"

"Then, are you going to back out of helping me?"

"No, I'll help." But Tomoya noted that he was not the kind of person who should even care about something like a streetlight being fixed.

"Alright, let's get started." The worker adjusted his hardhat.

…

"Good work, thanks for helping me out."

…_I can't lift my arm._ Tomoya felt that way mainly because he had been supporting the worker the whole time against the street light. The ladder was unstable just from the worker being on it. Tomoya's thighs were tensed up and his calves were sore. Tomoya sat down on the ground, trying to catch his breath. He was confident about his strength, but this was a different matter.

"This is a two person job, isn't it?" Tomoya gasped for air as he barely spat that out.

"This is your first time working? Then don't push yourself. No matter how much work there is to do, this is normal." The man said that coolly, in contrast to Tomoya. Tomoya thought he should've been able to handle this job with no problem.

Tomoya realized something: How easy and carefree his had been thus far. If he were to join normal society and get a job, this is how things would be every day. Though he imagined it to be like this, it was quite a bit harder in actuality. But the worker didn't seem that much older than Tomoya. It was shocking for the worker to shrug it off so easily and casually.

"What's with that gloomy expression?" The worker evidently saw Tomoya's face as he was lost in thought.

"N-nothing…"

"But, you were pretty helpful." Not worrying about it at all, he patted Tomoya's shoulder. "You really take your time when you work with others. You've got some strength there."

"I see…" Tomoya thought "That won't save anyone" as the worker said that.

"Well, all that's left for today is two…" Saying that, the worker looked around. Tomoya couldn't believe it. Even after all that work, the worker was ready for a second round? On top of it all, there was the chance that the same thing with the car owner could happen again.

"After this, I'll make around round and come back. I'll pay you then."

Tomoya sighed deeply.

…

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"Not at all. You did come back, at least."

"Here's your pay. Sorry, I can only give you half." The worker presented Tomoya with a gray envelope. It appeared that the company's name was written below.

With his arm still hurting, Tomoya opened the envelope. "Hey, is this a mistake?"

"Hmm? I don't think so." The worker took the envelope back from Tomoya to take a look. "No mistake at all. Isn't it enough?"

"On the contrary, I think this is _too_ much." And this was half of what it would've been. If it had been the full amount, Tomoya could've covered his food expenses with ease. But Tomoya stopped himself in mid-thought. He knew that someone as cold and worthless as himself wasn't suited for this kind of job. Tomoya didn't doubt he'd be hated in a hurry and tossed out on his ear. Where would he be then? He hadn't given that a thought until just then.

"Speaking of that, I haven't introduced myself yet. Here, I'll give you my business card. I'm Yoshino."

"I'm Okazaki." Tomoya took the business card. Written on it are the electric company's name, and the name Yusuke Yoshino.

"Well, I've got to hurry up and get out of here." Picking up his things, Yoshino made his way to the truck parked by the side of the road. Getting inside, he waved his hand at Tomoya, and left with the dull roar of the truck's engine.

Once again, Tomoya returned his gaze to the business card in his hand. "Yusuke Yoshino…Where have I heard this name before? Where exactly? I can't place it."

He decided to ask Sunohara.

….

At Sunohara's room.

"Where have I heard this guy's name before?" As Tomoya lay down, he immediately mentions the worker.

"Well, it's a small city, so running into someone isn't all that strange." Sunohara picked up the business card.

"No, it's not the face I remember, it's the name…"

"Yusuke…Yoshino? What did he look like!?" Sunohara's face lit up, like he was about to devour the business card.

"Hum…The look in his eyes seemed scary…But I guess he was good looking…"

"Anything else?"

"Afterwards…he magnificently said some really cool words, like out of a movie or something. Something like 'You couldn't live on in such servility, could you?'"

"Guaah! He's the legendary MC. The real deal…So what, he's working as an electrician right now…?"

"What do you mean by now? What was he before?"

"That dude was a professional musician, putting out CDs."

"Seriously…?"

"Yeah, it's like he's got charisma, right? Even though he never appeared on TV, his CDs sold well." Sunohara grabbed a tape player from the shelf near his bed. "Maybe you've heard him on the radio?"

"Probably…" Tomoya did recognize Yoshino's name after all.

"I'll find a tape that has one of his songs. Want to hear it?"

"Sure…"

Digging into the bottom of a cardboard box, Sunohara brought out a single cassette tape. "My sister loves this."

"Your sister?!" Tomoya felt shocked for the second time today.

"Yeah, my sister. Didn't I tell you I had one?"

"You never did…Tell me everything, damn it!"

"Wait, don't change the subject, okay?"

"Yeah, right…" Tomoya figured if it was Sunohara's sister, she had to be some kind of ghost. Thinking that way, Tomoya's interest suddenly faded.

"Here, listen to this."

"Okay."

Placing the tape into the tape player, Tomoya put on some headphones and pushed play. It seemed to be normal rock…No, it wasn't just normal. It was actually pretty good…Not it wasn't merely pretty good. It was _damn_ good. From what he could hear of the lyrics, despite the overpowering music, it almost brought Tomoya to tears.

_What is this? Is this some sort of sympathy?_ Tomoya took off the headphones.

"It's pretty good, isn't it?" Sunohara grinned knowingly.

"I see….So this is the man she heard and yearns to possess so badly…"

"Huh? Who?"

"Your sister."

"Hey, she's a human being, you know!" Sunohara looked offended in his sister's place.

"Sorry, my imagination went wild and your sister became a ghost…"

"_Way _too far…" Sunohara muttered. "So, how's the music?"

"It's great."

"Stylish, ain't it? Even though my sister likes it, when I heard it, I couldn't think of it as bad…Well, compared to Bomb A Head, it's nothing. This is the Best Compilation my sister's ever given me.

"Hmm? Your tape's making a weird sound. Oh look, it's tangling up and spinning around."

"What?" Sunohara looked at the tape player.

"I'll try taking it out."

"Please don't-!"

Opening up the cassette door, Tomoya grabbed the tape and yanked it out. Like seaweed being tossed about, one side of the tape dances around.

"Noooooooo-! My sister's Best Compilation-!" Sunohara cried in horror. "How did it come to this-?!"

"Well, calm down. The real dude's here in this city, right?" Tomoya shrugged, grinning rather maliciously.

"And…what?!"

"You can have peace of mind?"

"Hell no! Damn it, I'll break something important of yours!"

"Come on, the real dude's in this city, so we could borrow a CD. Getting that is the same thing as getting a Best Compilation, isn't it?"

"Borrow a CD from the man himself…?"

"Yeah, he'd have one himself right?"

"Well of course he wouldn't…But borrowing it from the real guy would be pretty damn cool. If we can get his autograph, my sister's gonna scream!"

"Yeah, no kidding, so let's do it."

"You're quite deceptive, you know that?"

"Not at all. I heard your sister's delighted voice as well. It goes like, 'KEKEEEEH!'"

"She wouldn't be delighted like that!"

Tomoya laughed. Oddly enough, he felt calm right now. But after his chat with Yoshino, Tomoya felt like he couldn't take the "whatever happens, happens" attitude forever. Being with Sunohara and acting like idiots…how long could that last?

…

**Chapter 21 β: Out of Control **

Come Monday, Takahashi was back in school and surely enough, Nagisa was still sick. For some reason, Takahashi felt like holding a grudge against Tomoya for what happened, hence he opted to skip out the usual conversation session with Sunohara and Tomoya. Of course, it seems neither of them cared to call him over anyway. Takahashi thought he could hear vague remarks about a Yosuke Yoshino.

_That's just how it is. I was a fool for trusting Okazaki the little bit that I did. I'll have to push him a bit if things are going to blossom properly._

"Hey, you!" A familiar female voice called out to him during lunch break.

"Fujibayash-san." Takahashi walked over to the doorway. "Something you need?"

"Listen up. Head over to the front garden. Make sure to look sharp and take this with you." Kyou winked and gave a thumbs up after handing Takahashi a lunch box.

Takahashi thought that this was looking like a threat of ridiculous proportions. Very suspicious indeed.

"What for? What are you trying to tell me?" Takahashi pushed up his glasses nervously. He had to be careful around Kyou, otherwise going after Ryou as he planned would be rather difficult.

"It means today, you'll be eating lunch together with Ryou in the front garden." Kyou smiled innocently.

"Geh…!" Takahashi's face became glowing red near instantaneously, like a range element. "I'm not ready for this! I haven't even gone-"

"Hmmmmm? What's wrong?" Kyou's smile grew wider.

"Could you…repeat what you said before?" Takahashi stammered.

"You'll be eating lunch with Ryou. Take that lunch box with you and eat it together with Ryou."

"Wait…" Takahashi was becoming more flustered by the second, one of those rare occasions where he really couldn't find a way to fight back. "Why should I be the one to do that?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Kyou's smile was overpowering now. "It's my big plan to get you and Ryou together!"

"…You know…" Takahashi whispered. "I don't think I discussed this with you during the gun game…or before that."

"Well it was obvious from your reactions before!" Kyou laughed haughtily, looking more and more like a villain. "I forgot to tell you that you should prepare yourself during the game."

"Well then, go~!" Kyou pushed Takahashi out into the hallway, and kept pushing him until they were both about a good five meters away from the classroom exit.

"Fujibayashi-san, I believe I might have a heart attack doing this…" Takahashi protested meekly.

"Stop being shy! Come on!" Kyou gave him one last push before standing still with her hands on her waist.

Looking so commanding, Takahashi felt compelled to do as she said. It wasn't exactly like he could oppose Kyou in this situation. He felt way too intimidated by the older of the twins.

_Maybe I should just toss this somewhere and get my lunch…_Takahashi thought this for a moment as he walked down the stairs. The lunch box felt rather heavy, so Kyou probably put a lot of effort into making it. Takahashi then recalled the dictionary that stopped and deflected an air gun pellet. _Actually…It's scary just to think of the consequences. I don't even know how long I'd last without my gun…_

…

Takahashi made his way to the school's front garden. The bright spring sunlight illuminated the area, and the wind was a bit cold. There were groups of students enjoying their lunch here. Takahashi was still completely red. He could already feel that the audience wasn't helping with the stage-fright. He noticed Ryou on the outskirts of the garden. She was holding a boxed lunch like Takahashi's on her lap sitting on a stone bench, as if she was waiting for someone.

_And that someone would be me._ Takahashi sighed. This was proving to be more and more nerve-racking. It was as if she knew he was coming. Kyou probably tipped her off to it, since it was her plan.

"The only thing that I really get about Fujibayashi-san is how stubborn she is about this kind of thing…" Takahashi moved forward, his feet shifting and ruffling the grass as he approached Ryou.

"Ah..." Ryou noticed Takahashi and her shoulders trembled momentarily. She was looking straight at Takahashi, and her face was blushing a deep red. "Wh-wh-what?" And then she panicked.

"Um…Yo?" Takahashi was at a loss for words as well. Dealing with girls certainly was not a special skill of his.

"Umm…!" Ryou squeezed her eyes shut. "Thank you very much."

"Eh?" Takahashi stared.

"A-about lunch….I'm glad you…well…that you invited me…" Ryou exhaled deeply after saying that, like all her courage was packed into that one statement.

"HUH?" Takahashi scratched the back of his head.

_Oh wait, this is part of the plan…_Takahashi hastily recovered and tried to cover for his mistake.

"Uh…Yeah…"

"I-I heard from…um…my sister…" Ryou was still blushing and she wasn't making eye contact with Takahashi. "That Takahashi-san wanted to eat lunch with me…"

Takahashi looked at Ryou's reddened face. If he had a mirror right now, he'd see that his face was the same. It was at this moment he contemplated telling the truth: that Kyou had set them up…But it would definitely make him look bad, and it might make Ryou cry, so Takahashi refrained.

"Y-yeah…" Takahashi laughed nervously, trying to act casual. "I thought we could, every now and then."

Ryou's happy face reddened even more. "Ah, Takahashi-san…About that lunch box…"

"Oh yeah, this…" Takahashi lifted up the lunch box.

"It's my sister's? Why do you have it?"

…_Crap. I think Fujibayashi-san overlooked this. I better come up with something…Except I can't think of anything but the truth._

Takahashi placed the lunch box on the stone bench. "This….Y-you see…I was given this on my way here. Originally, I was supposed to bring my own lunch…Haha, your sister's really nice, making this for me."

"She is, isn't she?" Ryou nodded. "My sister even got up early to make my lunch as well."

"…Are you saying she made both of these?" Takahashi eye the lunch box Ryou had. "This is beyond all my expectations."

"She woke up around six this morning. Well…my sister is much better than me when it comes to cooking, so…" Ryou smiled softly.

"Come to think of it, I should try your cooking too. If I think about appearances alone, you seem like a much better cook." Takahashi sat down on the edge of the stone bench opposite from Ryou.

"N-not at all…No matter how you look at it, my cooking is terrible." Ryou was suddenly flustered.

"I won't know till I try." Takahashi forcefully grinned, finally able to overcome the blushing.

"Ah, but I'm good at chores. I'm praised about how good I am at organizing and cleaning things up."

"Heh." Takahashi pushed up his glasses. "Well I'll be. Maybe we ought to compete some time, see who organizes and cleans better and faster."

"N-no, it's fine…"

"By the way, can I sit closer to you? Preferably right next to you?" Takahashi still had that forced grin on his face. He hoped that it didn't look too creepy.

"Eh…?" Surprised, Ryou nearly jumped up. "N-ne….next to me?!"

"…Uh…" Takahashi felt a bit sheepish as he was sliding off of the bench. "If you don't want me to, I'll sit on the edge of the bench like I am right now…"

"Ah...I-it's fine…You can sit next to me…" Ryou's face blushed simply from Takahashi moving closer.

Takahashi placed the lunch box that Kyou gave him on his lap. "The lunch boxes match, don't they…"

"They really do match…" Her face red, Ryou nodded gently.

"I'd presume if Fujibayashi-san cooked this, then the contents of the lunch boxes must not differ. Shall we eat?"

"O-okay…" Ryou and Takahashi untied their lunch boxes at the same time.

Takahashi removed the lid, and almost smashed it back down the next second.

"What's wrong?" Ryou asked.

"Just…" Takahashi was the one blushing even more now. "Something I need to check..."

Opening the lid again, Takahashi took a peek and a big heart mark on top of the rice reflected in his eyes. It wasn't his imagination.

_I can't eat something like this! I'll get a heart attack from the embarrassment…_

"Takahashi-san?" Ryou looked at the lunch box Takahashi held.

"Ryou-san…" Takahashi pointed at Ryou's lunch box. "What's in your lunch box?"

"What's in my box?" Ryou made an enigmatic face as her head tilted slightly. She opened her lunch box. "Um…It looks like this." Ryou put the lunch box on her lap and leaned over to show Takahashi.

"A panda…?" Takahashi's eyes were about to pop out. Why the difference?

Ryou giggled. "My sister…really likes this sort of stuff."

"What pattern is yours, Takahashi-san?"

Sighing, Takahashi removed the lid from the lunch box.

"Um…Here…" Takahashi really didn't want to see it again.

"Wh-wh-what…?!" Ryou's reaction was what Takahashi expected.

"…I don't know what kind of taste your sister has…But I'm not entirely sure if I want to find out." Takahashi pulled out the chopsticks that came with the lunch box. "Regardless…Let's eat. This heart will burn my eyes if we wait any longer…"

"A-ah…O-okay!"

The various things in the lunch box tasted rather good to Takahashi. It was better than anything he could conjure up in any event. Fried eggs, pork cutlets, potato salad…It was enough to make Takahashi envy Kyou's cooking skills. It was mostly due to Takahashi's belief that there's nothing cooler than a man who knows how to cook well. Though he was engrossed in the food, Takahashi did not fail to notice that complete silence had engulfed him and Ryou. Ryou didn't seem to be the type of girl that was talkative. That didn't bode well for Takahashi, who often used talking as a way to channel nervous energy. Silence was suffocating. But, if it was Ryou, he'd probably have to deal with it.

As Takahashi was looking at Ryou, she suddenly turned to the side, and their eyes met.

"Wah…" Ryou immediately turned her face away. Takahashi could see that she was blushing.

…_I think we've both done enough blushing to kill a man…_Takahashi bit his lip and turned away as well.

Both of them moved their chopstick desperately, looking down from embarrassment.

"Thanks for the food…" Takahashi murmured. It felt like he was losing energy and willpower rapidly.

"Eh?"

Takahashi smiled thinly. "It was unexpectedly delicious."

"Y-you eat really fast…" Ryou wasn't even half done with her lunch.

_Actually, I think it's because I ate without any interrupts or interjections._ Takahashi wiped his mouth with a napkin from his pocket, and disposed of the napkin in the nearby garbage can.

"Umm…Well…are you going already…?" Ryou asked.

"Nope. I'm staying right here." Takahashi put the lid back on the lunch box. "I'm waiting until you're done."

"I…I'm sorry…I eat slow…"

"You're a girl." Takahashi shrugged. "I don't mind. Actually…No offense to you, but it would be sort of creepy if you ate faster than me."

"I-is that so…?"

"Yeah. So take your time eating, okay?" Takahashi grinned. Or at least he tried to, but he still couldn't get over the fact that he actually ate the heart in front of Ryou. She hadn't said anything yet.

"T…Thank you very much…" Ryou smiled as she picked at the food in her lunch box with her chopsticks. "By the way…The heart pattern? What'd did you think of it?"

"…" Takahashi coughed twice. "I think someone's jumping the gun."

"Eh…?" Ryou looked up, evidently confused.

"Nothing…It was…fun to eat…" Takahashi looked away and grimaced.

_Kyou Fujibayashi…I will get you back for this one day in the future. Hopefully when I'm actually with Ryou-san._

"Um…You have a grain of rice on your lips."

Takahashi tried to take it off when Ryou pointed it out.

"O-over here." Ryou extended her hand towards Takahashi's face. He had to resist the urge to jump back. She touched the tip of Takahashi's lip with her finger. Takahashi found this surprisingly daring for Ryou.

"It's gone now." Ryou flicked the grain of rice into the garbage can.

"Thank you…" Takahashi checked his pulse. It'd gone way up. He felt like he was just short of a heart attack now.

"Ah, no, it's not really a big deal." Ryou showed Takahashi a smile mixed with shyness.

It was one of the things that Takahashi found cute about Ryou. Her shy personality was one of her endearing traits. There wasn't any ulterior reason for liking her shyness, or so Takahashi reassured himself. Takahashi noted that he himself was shy around girls. He wasn't exactly the best boyfriend material in the first place, and he didn't feel like the Takahashi that could do whatever he wanted when he was with a person of the opposite gender. Ryou and Takahashi would make a matching pair in the shyness department, though Takahashi also thought that introverts or part-time introverts might not meld together well.

"Thank you for waiting." Ryou closed the lid on her lunch box.

"Well then…" Takahashi exhaled. "We must do this again sometime. Though it is regrettable that I couldn't come up with much to say…

"A-ah…" Ryou's expression stiffened slightly. "It's okay…I felt happy just being able to eat lunch with you…"

"Well…I'd like to be able to do more than just that."

"E-Eh?" Ryou blinked.

"You know, I can't just sit here like a statue. What kind of man does that make me, huh?" Takahashi blushed as he said that. It wasn't particularly man-like, but he couldn't help it.

"W-well…"

"Hey, um…" Takahashi looked up at the sky. This felt a bit awkward now. "I'm going to check on something right now. Is it okay if I find you in class later?"

"WRONG!"

Takahashi nearly threw the lunch box he was holding into the air. Kyou appeared from the distance.

"S-sis?" Ryou was pretty startled as well.

"My God, you scared the daylights out of me!" Takahashi had no clue where Kyou came from, but he guessed (correctly for that fact) that Kyou had been watching the two of them. "And why are you peeking at us?!"

"I'm not really peeking at the two of you…" Kyou crossed her arms, trying to brush off Takahashi's accusation.

"Care to explain your timing then?!" Takahashi thrust the lunch box he was holding out at Kyou. He didn't have a free finger to point with at the moment.

"T-That's…um…" Kyou, uncharacteristically, was blushing. "I just happened to pass by."

"Sure, likely story!" Takahashi growled. As much as he appreciated Kyou's help, he didn't like being spied on.

"Ah…Hey…Calm down…" Ryou took the lunch box from Takahashi and set it down on the bench. "Sis, Takahashi-san…Don't be angry…"

"Anyway…" Kyou puffed up her chest, looking down on Takahashi. "You can't end it like that! You just finished eating lunch and there's nothing after?"

"…Okay, let's get one thing straight…" Takahashi stood up, looking Kyou in the eye. "I appreciate the lunch box, but let me decide what to do! There's no reason for you to butt in like this!"

"Wrong! You have to do this right! Do you know how important eating lunch together is?!"

"I've never eaten lunch alone with a girl before! At least let me learn on my own!"

"Ah! Please…Calm down!" Ryou got up and got in between Kyou and Takahashi.

"…Fine, but don't screw this up next time!"

"Tch." Takahashi pushed up his glasses. "As if an amateur like you has any right to talk to another amateur."

"T-this and that have no relevance whatsoever!" Kyou looked away indignantly.

"…Regardless." Takahashi picked up the lunch box on the bench and handed it to Kyou.

"Ah, you ate it all."

"It was unexpectedly delicious. I appreciate you taking the time to make it for me." Takahashi bowed, having finally regained his composure and his usual formality towards others.

"I'm not exactly satisfied with the word "unexpectedly", but…"

"It really was delicious." Takahashi stood upright again. "Thank you."

"Well, of course." Kyou smiled proudly. "Oh hey…During the break…I want to talk to you about something. Don't forget, okay?"

"…As you wish…" Takahashi was just about exhausted with the first phase of the plan.

"Sis, Takahashi-san…I think the bell is going to go soon. Let's all head back." Ryou had already packed up her lunch box.

"Oh. Yeah." Takahashi nodded. "Let's head back."

Takahashi quickly pulled out his notepad and pen, and started scribbling down something.

_Meet Kyou during break. _

Takahashi flipped back a page. The note about the Tarot cards were still there. He crossed it off, and wrote _Buy Ryou tarot cards as a gift. Usage instructions may be require_d on the new page.

Kyou and Ryou noticed the notepad and pen, but neither bothered to try and take a peek at the notes.

"And we're good to go." Takahashi closed the notepad and place the pen back inside his pocket.

** …..**


	23. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22: Raising the Bar a Notch**

Monday morning. Even though Tomoya was wide awake, he remained in bed.

_I wonder if Furukawa's fever has gone down. I wonder if she's waiting for me on the way again. But…a deep chasm has been dug between the two of us because of what happened…being sensitive to relationships between people, I could feel that. She might not have. I avoided her so I wouldn't hurt her._

_I'm such an idiot. So is she. But…I really am an idiot. _

_I'm probably being really insensitive without realizing it. And Furukawa…in the end, I'm no different from those classmates who constantly hurt her. I wonder if she understands that too_… …

Tomoya didn't get out of bed until it was almost noon. And on the way to school, on the slope just before the school gates.

"Yo. Fancy meeting you here." It was Sunohara. "The cherry blossoms have scattered around, huh?"

"…" Tomoya remained silent all the way up the hill and until they were in the classroom.

Tomoya got to class just before lunch break with Sunohara. Takahashi didn't seem to notice them though. Tomoya had to wonder if Takahashi was deliberately ignoring him. Normally he'd scold the two of them for being late for class. Well, he did seem angry yesterday and the day before. But then again, Takahashi could've minded his own business.

"I have to say, that stuff about Yusuke Yoshino yesterday was crazy. I'm still thinking about trying to find him…" Sunohara muttered.

"You still on that?"

"...My sister's Best Compilation tape is destroyed…whose fault is that?!"

"Is Yusuke Yoshino's song on a tape really that important to you?"

"Grr…" Sunohara crossed his arms, looking angry. "Any way, how about lunch?"

"I haven't eaten yet."

"Well let's drop our bags, and go to the cafeteria."

"Yeah, I guess so…"

Sunohara took his bag and Tomoya's and threw them both on his own desk. The bags landed with a loud thump. "We'll get stuck with leftovers if we don't hurry up."

"Wait…" As they entered the hallway, Tomoya looked out the window, the blue and green contrasting with each other as he looked below. There wasn't anyone there. "Never mind, let's go."

…

Takahashi split off from Kyou and Ryou on their way back to class after lunch, citing the washroom as his reason. In reality, he wanted to check something. He headed for the courtyard. Nagisa should've been home sick, but maybe she made it to school during lunch break. It wasn't for sure…but there's always a chance.

Surely enough, Takahashi found Nagisa; she was sitting alone on a bench, eating her bread as well as she could. She didn't look too different from before, in any event.

"Hey, Nagisa-san?" Takahashi sat down beside her.

"Ah…Takahashi-san…" Nagisa moved the bread away from her mouth.

"I thought your dad said you were going to be home sick all day?"

"No…I felt well enough to come to school after this morning."

Takahashi sighed in relief. So that was why he couldn't find her this morning.

….

By this time, Tomoya was done lunch. Sunohara was with him back in the hallway near his classroom. Tomoya felt compelled to look out the window again.

"…" And there he saw Nagisa and Takahashi together.

_Furukawa, so you made it to school today. Last week…I was down there next to you. But now I'm just up here watching you…_

"Hey, Okazaki, what's wrong?" Sunohara peered out the window as well.

"Nothing..."

Just then, Nagisa noticed Tomoya.

….

Takahashi noticed Nagisa looking up. Following her line of sight, Takahashi saw Tomoya looking out a window down at them. Nagisa placed her bread on her knees, looking at Tomoya like she was about to cry.

"Hey…Nagisa-san." Takahashi pushed up his glasses.

Nagisa hid her face. Tomoya continued to stare at her.

"Nagisa-san…try waving at him."

Nagisa's shoulders trembled momentarily. But she raised her head. And then, she waved her hand at Tomoya. She was trying her best to smile too.

"Nice." Takahashi grinned and stood up. "I'll be making an exit. Three's a crowd. Chat with you later, okay?"

"Uh-huh…thank you…"

….

Tomoya saw all of it.

_I want to reward her…for her great effort. If she still needs me…I'm going to try hard too._

Tomoya noticed Takahashi getting up. He was walking away from Nagisa.

"Hey, Sunohara, I'll be back." Tomoya sprinted down the corridor.

When Tomoya made it down to the courtyard, Nagisa was about to open some more bread. Tomoya sat down beside her. Takahashi was nowhere to be seen now.

"Whew…" Tomoya let out a deep breath.

"I'm glad…" Nagisa placed the bread she was opening on her lap. "I've managed to gather up my courage…I'm glad I tried so hard to wave to you. And then, you came down here…"

"Yeah, don't worry about it. Didn't I promise that I'd come if you called me?"

"But…" Nagisa lowered her head. "After what happened…and I've hurt you as well, Okazaki-san…"

"You were crying, weren't you?" Tomoya saw that Nagisa's cheeks were a bit red. "Were you crying just now?"

"Yes…I was…"

"That's fine then. You can stop crying now."

Sniff…

As Tomoya glanced at Nagisa, she was crying. The tears were flowing out of her eyes, running down her cheeks, and falling from her chin onto her bread.

_She must have been really, really worried. She might've been lying in bed worrying about it…_

"I'm so insensitive." Tomoya took the bread from Nagisa, tearing off the part that was soaked by her tears. And then he shoved it into his mouth.

"Ah!" Nagisa was startled.

_I wonder what she thinks of that. It's just that I don't want those tears to dry up. Since I'm the one who made her cry._

'You're a fool…but that's fine with me." Tomoya smiled warmly.

"Is that so…?"

"Since I think so." Tomoya affirmed. "We're here in the same place. We're doing pretty well."

Tomoya chewed the bread in his mouth. For some reason, Nagisa's tears had a nostalgic taste. The same taste as his own tears, shed as a child.

…

During break time, Takahashi crossed off the note in his notepad. It was time.

Sighing, he got up and left the classroom. He didn't have to look far. Kyou was already standing there.

"So...What'd you pull me out of class for this time?"

"Two things really." Kyou grinned. "First of all, are you free after school today?"

"Totally clear." Something was coming again. In the same day no less. Takahashi really wished that he'd get a break.

"And…Would you like me to keep making boxed lunches for you and Ryou? I don't cook them every day, you know?"

"I'm fine if you make us some. But what's this about after school?"

"That…Is a secret for now." Kyou winked, looking rather evil. She was definitely scheming something. "Just stay in class until I come get you, okay?"

"And what if I refuse?"

"You can forget about that. If you take even a step outside of the classroom after school without waiting for me to get you, I'll tie you up and leave you here. Got it?"

"…What kind of harassment is this? As if you could tie me up." Takahashi pushed up his glasses with a glare at Kyou. "And another thing, I'll agree for now. But that'll change depending on what happens next."

"Heh…" Kyou's eyes suddenly looked menacing. She crossed her arms. "Is that a threat?"

Takahashi stood his ground, taking off his glasses and looking daggers at Kyou. "You've got a problem with that? A gentleman has a right to choose his own after school schedule."

This staring contest continued for a few moments, before Kyou stepped back and face-palmed. "Honestly, you're way too uptight. For all your acting formally and politely, you're really paranoid."

"Hey, I probably lost five years of my life from all the blushing I did during lunch." Takahashi put his glasses back on. "If I may protest a bit, I'd like to say that I have no experience dealing with women."

"Well, fine. I'll give you a spoiler and put your mind at ease. This is phase two of my plan." Kyou let her arms fall to her side. "The most important thing to starting to date someone…is to increase the meetings between the two of you. That way, you can trigger flags more easily."

"Two phases in one day? And what's this about flags? Has life become a video game without me knowing?"

"You know it!" Kyou laughed. "Life…well it just depends on how you see things."

"…Are you really my friend, or are you doing this to torture me beyond therapy?"

"Well of course I'm your friend!" Kyou patted Takahashi on the shoulder. "I'm doing all of this for Ryou's and your sake, you know?"

"Right…" Takahashi pulled out his notepad and pen. _Meet Kyou after school this time._ Takahashi crossed out the old note with another line. _Goddamn it._ He thought.

"Hey, about the Tarot Cards? That's supposed to be a gift, right?" Kyou peered at Takahashi's notes.

"…Didn't I say not to look at my notes?" Takahashi sighed, closing the notepad. He didn't feel like making a big deal out of it this time, but he was still red behind the ears. He did mean to get Ryou Tarot Cards as a present. Takahashi didn't want Kyou to know that though.

"Hey, it's no big deal. I won't say a word!" Kyou used her hand to make a zipping motion over her lips. "It's all good!"

"No, it is far from good. Don't you remember what happened last time?" Takahashi thought for a moment. "Actually, I didn't want you to see that for fear of you becoming an obstacle."

"Huh?"

"Nothing." Takahashi put the notepad back into his pocket. "I'll be heading back to class now."

Just then, Takahashi thought back. To Ryou. To her fortune telling. To her fortune telling about meeting someone who'd reignite his old dream. To the students from his former school who attacked him. To Ayane. And to the girl who'd helped him out back in elementary.

Something…didn't feel right. Something wasn't adding up. He'd gotten a message from Ayane. He was attacked, and though his leg was better now, it didn't do anything except open old wounds. It seemed like his life was getting constantly caught in conflict.

Takahashi did realize something. Dating Ryou would probably be the only thing that'll pull him away from his past. Away from his old school, away from fighting, away from all those atrocities he committed with his own hands.

_It feels so off…It isn't only because I've never dated someone before. I've never had a peaceful life before. Yeah, that's it. Because I've…never really lived. Outside of academics, outside of fighting…there was absolutely nothing…_

"Say, Kyou Fujibayashi." Takahashi turned around, glancing at Kyou.

"Eh? Why did you use my full name?" Kyou was wide-eyed.

"Don't you find it embarrassing to help someone else date your own sister?"

"…Nope!" Kyou recovered, putting up a haughty smile and puffing up her chest. "No, I'm not! I'm not embarrassed at all!"

_..What? Why do those words sound…so familiar?_ Takahashi suddenly realized he'd heard those words before. But he could not remember who said them.

"Well, for what it's worth. Thanks." Takahashi nodded and went back to class.

….

During the break, Tomoya decided to leave the classroom for a change of scenery. He was rather bored. On the way out, he nearly crashed into Takahashi.

"Ah, my friend. Sorry about that." Takahashi bowed slightly before trying to leave.

"Hey wait." Tomoya grabbed Takahashi by the shoulder. "Come with me. Let's get some juice."

"…Why are you sounding like Youhei all of a sudden?" Takahashi placed his hand on Tomoya's forehead. "Did Nagisa-san cast some kind of weird spell on you?"

"Speaking of which." Tomoya gently removed Takahashi's hand. "What did you say to her?"

"Nothing really. Just to wave at you." Takahashi shrugged.

"…So that's…" Tomoya sighed. "I see."

"Well either way. Sorry about ignoring you all this time. I just…wanted things to get back on track before I talked to you again." Takahashi laughed dryly, scratching the back of his head.

"Back on track?" Tomoya wondered what Takahashi meant by that.

"Never mind." Takahashi exhaled and smiled weakly. "I think we've both heard enough about responsibility and that kind of crap by now."

"Crap is not a word you usually use. I think you're the one who has been bewitched." Tomoya raised an eyebrow. "Just walk with me."

"If you insist."

…

The school cafeteria was deserted. Tomoya bought both himself and Takahashi an 80-yen juice.

"I appreciate it, my friend." Takahashi took the juice and quietly sipped.

"So, what's wrong with you? Eaten some weird food?" Tomoya opened his juice as well.

"No." Takahashi laughed bitterly. "It's more like…I think I found the reason why I suck. You know?"

"First off, you're not talking like you normally do and it's creeping me out. Secondly, can you please make some sense? How do you suck?"

"Haha…" Takahashi finished the juice in two gulps and tossed the cardboard container into a garbage bin. "I was just thinking that my life's been shit up until the point where I transferred to this school and met Youhei. And even now, it isn't that great. I'm like a shadow in the background of a stage."

"The hell are you on?" Tomoya stared incredulously. "What's this all of sudden? Did something happen without me knowing?"

"Well…" Takahashi stopped walking. "You remember my leg from two days ago?"

"Yeah. You were limping." Tomoya saw Takahashi pulling up his pant leg.

"This is why." A single tear drop rolled down from Takahashi's right eye. "Take a look."

Tomoya didn't even need to look closely. There was clearly a bruise shaped sort of like a baseball bat's head on Takahashi's right shin.

"No way…" It all came together like two plus two in Tomoya's mind. The baseball bat he found with the dents in it. "You…?"

"Yeah…I got into a fight. It was raining that day, remember? No teachers outside. No witnesses. I beat the hell out of those punks…" Takahashi laughed, sounding more and more like he was crying. "Yeah, I beat 'em real good…"

"Calm down." Tomoya grabbed Takahashi by the shoulders, dropping his juice in the process. "Tell me what happened. What the hell did you do to cause that?"

Takahashi brushed Tomoya off. "That's…ancient history. A lot has happened. You remembered what I said about me sucking? I know why now. It's because I've always been fighting, always studying, always trying to win. I've been living an empty life this entire time. I've been living in a dream, you understand!? I'm just…useless."

"Hey." Tomoya shook Takahashi violently. "What about all those times you saved Sunohara's sorry ass? What about you making me realize how much of a jerk I've been to Furukawa? How about everything that's happened with the Fujibayashi twins? Useless…as if."

Tomoya released Takahashi. "You need to stop brooding like this. It isn't like you. It's _way_ out of character."

"…" Takahashi exhaled deeply. "You're right. I'm sorry. I don't know what brought that on all of a suddenly."

Tomoya didn't know why he was comforting Takahashi. They weren't even that close. But something compelled him to say something. It was way too freaky to see Takahashi act like the polar opposite of what he's usually like.

"I…owe you an apology. I should explain everything." Takahashi straightened his collar.

Tomoya picked up his juice and finished it off, tossing the container away as well. He'd rather not get involved in things that didn't concern him, but he'd at least hear out Takahashi.

"They…were students from my old school. Where I came from…well, I'd be best described as a vigilante delinquent. Not in the marks department of course…my marks were fine. But I always had fights against other people in the school. Do you know how I justified that? I said that bullies should get what they deserved. Yeah…I made a lot of enemies because of that."

Takahashi and Tomoya closed in on the classroom.

"How did that work?" Tomoya asked. It seemed like he and Takahashi found some common ground; the "exiles" kind of common ground. Tomoya thought that if he had to guess, it's also probably the reason Takahashi got along so well with Sunohara.

"I asked my uncle and father to get me stuff. Fighting with bare fists I could manage. But I needed more. Hidden weapons, holsters, airsoft guns, whatever I could get my hands on to give me an edge. My father was a businessman, and one of his clients gave him a collapsible bo-staff, which my father gave to me later. My uncle…he somehow got a renaissance styled saber. It's the real deal, and I've kept it ever since he gave it to me. I even sharpen the thing. It's combat ready. But I never got to use that. Just the bo-staff, the airsoft guns, and some brass knuckles I got off of some vendor in another city. And…I took out people with extreme prejudice. Now…some guys from that school are coming after me again. Just when…just when I've thought I could finally find some peace and quiet. Haven't you noticed? How often I've gotten into fights with people? I'm…so irrational and confrontational."

By the time Takahashi regurgitated all of that and Tomoya processed it all, they were both standing outside of the classroom.

"Dude…that's rough. I never expected all of that from you." Tomoya was still a bit shaken listening to all of that. It's the first time he'd even been so open about that. Tomoya thought it made them even, for now they both know a bit about each other's pasts. And Takahashi had given a bit more insight about his nature. Tomoya knew now that Takahashi was much more complex than he'd previously imagined.

"Well, no one would. They wouldn't know how I was back then. My personality…was nothing like what it is now. You know what they called me back then? The Shinigami. Hah…a fitting name, huh?"

"Well, regardless of your past, I understand how you feel. And I understand why you fought them. There's nothing wrong with hating bullies." Tomoya patted Takahashi on the back. "Also, don't keep this stuff bottled up inside. You can tell us. We're your friends, even if we might not act so friendly all the time. I won't tell Fujibayashi or Kyou anything though. That's up to you."

This was rather odd. Before, Tomoya felt so distant from Takahashi. And yet…now they've made a connection. Tomoya felt like they'd become better friends. But he didn't know why he did it. It would've been much easier just to leave Takahashi to figure out his own problems. Well, it wasn't like Tomoya didn't have time for friends.

"Thanks. My friend." Takahashi said that as sincerely as possible, finally smiling like he usually did.

"Don't mention it." Tomoya nodded, feeling elated. _Finally back to his old self_. Tomoya thought.

With that, the two headed back into the classroom.


End file.
